Morne Morkel provides updates on Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer’s injuries

Gill is expected to recover for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa, which begins on December 9, while Shreyas might need 2-3 months to regain full fitness.

India’s assistant/fast bowling coach Morne Morkel has provided crucial injury updates regarding Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. Two days before the India vs South Africa 1st ODI, Morkel addressed the media. The former Proteas fast bowler stated that Gill’s recovery has been going well and that Shreyas’ rehabilitation process has commenced.

Gill recovering well, says Morkel

Gill, India’s Test and ODI captain, had an existing neck niggle and worsened it during the Kolkata Test. He travelled with the Indian squad to Guwahati but didn’t play. After which, Gill travelled to Mumbai for scans. He’s expected to check into the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru by the end of the week and then join the Indian team for the T20I series.

“I think it’s best for the medical team to give the update on that. I spoke to Shubman two days ago just to check in with him, and he’s recovering well, so that’s pleasing to hear,” Morkel told reporters in Ranchi.

Rehab underway for Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas, India’s ODI vice-captain, had suffered an abdominal injury on the field in Sydney. While taking a running back catch, he hit the ground hard and winced in pain. Later, it was revealed that Shreyas had suffered lacerations on his spleen, which resulted in internal bleeding. Shreyas is expected to recover physically in 2 months, after which he travels to CoE.

“Shreyas has also started his rehab, which is great. So yeah, we’re looking forward to welcoming them back into the squad. The good thing is they’re healthy and starting their preparation on their way back into the team,” the Indian coach added.

India ODI squad for South Africa series

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (c & wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana