In a concerning development for the Indian cricket team and its fans, reports indicate that star top-order batter Shubman Gill has sustained a hand injury, raising concerns ahead of the highly anticipated match against Pakistan.
The arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, are scheduled to clash in the sixth match of the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai. The match is set to commence at 8:00 PM IST at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
According to a report published in the Times of India on Saturday, Gill, who remained not out with a score of 20 runs against UAE in the previous match, suffered the injury during India’s practice session.
Shubman Gill injured during nets session
According to the available information, Gill displayed visible discomfort after the impact, prompting the team physio to attend to him before he left the field. He was later observed sitting on the icebox, holding his injured hand.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir were seen in a lengthy discussion with Gill following the incident. Additionally, his opening partner, Abhishek Sharma, assisted him in opening a water bottle while the physio continued to monitor his condition.
The report also mentioned that Gill resumed training shortly after the incident. This setback came just before India’s match against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Sanju Samson to replace Shubman Gill if he is unable to play
If Gill is unable to play against Pakistan, Sanju Samson is expected to replace him as an opening batter. Samson is the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for India in T20Is. The Kerala-based cricketer scored three centuries as an opener in T20Is last year.
Sanju was included in India’s playing XI for the match against UAE on Wednesday, September 10, but did not get an opportunity to bat during the 58-run chase.
Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh leads India in T20I wickets. Across 63 matches, he has taken 99 wickets. Despite this, the left-arm pacer was not in India’s playing XI against UAE. In his absence, all-rounder Shivam Dube bowled two overs and secured 3 wickets for four runs, while Kuldeep Yadav bowled 2.1 overs and dismissed four opposition batters, conceding only 7 runs.
Squad for Asia Cup 2025
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk)
Pakistan: Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem