India in England: Surprised to see Shubman Gill hid his injury, what were physios doing, questions Saba Karim

Former wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim says that he can’t believe Shubman Gill has hidden his leg injury before the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand.

Karim, who is not impressed with the youngster, also criticized the Indian team’s physio and medical staff, who failed to track Gill’s injury.

Shubman scored 28 and 8 in both innings as India lost the match by eight wickets against Kane Williamson-led New Zealand.

On the podcast ‘Khelneeti’, Karim said, “I was surprised to see Shubman Gill hid his injury. He has been travelling for a long time with the Indian team. Physios and other medical staff are tracking the fitness of the players. It’s very surprising in the first place, how it happened and why it didn’t come up earlier.”

Karim backed Mayank Agarwal to fill in for Gill in the England Tests. “Mayank should be given preference. We have been harsh towards Mayank. He was sidelined after just 2-3 failed innings,” said Karim.

Shubman Gill is likely to miss the five-match Test series against England, starting from August 4.

It is believed that Gill has either sustained a calf muscle injury or hamstring tear, which could take considerable time to heal. It is not clear how and when he picked up the injury. It’s unclear at the moment whether Gill needs surgery before the England series.

Shubman Gill is set to stay in England, where physio Nitin Patel and strength and conditioning coach Sohum Desai will monitor his progress.Gill had made a mark in his debut Test series in Australia. The youngster hit a match-winning 91 that set up India’s famous victory against Australia in the 4th Test at the Gabba, Brisbane.