India bowling coach Morne Morkel shed light on skipper Shubman Gill’s sudden neck stiffness, which forced him to retire hurt after scoring just four runs on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens.
Morkel revealed that the issue appeared unexpectedly on the morning of the match. “We first need to figure out how he developed the stiffness; maybe it was just a bad night’s sleep. It’s not a workload issue; Shubman is extremely fit and takes care of himself. Unfortunately, he woke up with a stiff neck on an important day for us. A solid partnership with him at the crease would have been crucial,” he said.
India were dismissed for 189, struggling to build a strong first-innings total, and the situation forced a tactical shuffle. Washington Sundar was promoted to No. 3, a move Morkel backed completely.
“He did really well. Washington has been excellent with the bat whenever given opportunities. With him in good form, sending him at three made sense. It also gives us flexibility lower down the order. It was a brave call, but the right one considering the form he’s in,” Morkel added.
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“Wicket deteriorated quicker than expected”
Addressing the pitch behaviour, Morkel admitted even the home team was surprised by how quickly the surface broke down. “Even we didn’t expect the wicket to deteriorate so fast. Looking at it the day before and even on the morning of the match, it seemed like a good wicket. But it changed quickly, which was unexpected. That’s the challenge of playing in the subcontinent, you must adapt fast,” he explained.
Morkel added that India possesses the bowling depth to handle any conditions. “We always try to play to our strengths. We have quality seamers and spinners, so we cover both bases. It’s about reading what’s in front of us and playing accordingly,” he said.
Match situation
Despite a below-par total, India’s bowlers brought the team back into the contest. By stumps, South Africa were 93/7, holding only a 63-run lead, leaving the Test evenly poised heading into Day 3.