Leg and Off: Who should bat at No. 4 for India if Shubman Gill is ruled out of IND vs SA 2025 2nd Test?

Team India have a major selection crisis regarding their batting department as skipper Shubman Gill is doubtful for the second Test against South Africa, scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 22, at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. The ace batter had sustained an injury to his neck, which required immediate medical attention and subsequent hospitalization.

While Gill has been discharged and is part of the travelling contingent for the second Test, there is a high chance that he might not be part of the playing XI. Under such circusmtances, India have to devise a backup plan to fill the crucial No.4 slot in the batting order.

"Gill was kept under observation and discharged the next day. Shubman has been responding well to the medical treatment provided and will travel to Guwahati with the team on 19th November, 2025. He will continue to be monitored by the BCCI medical team and a decision on his participation in the 2nd Test will be taken accordingly," BCCI's latest update, issued on November 19, read.

On that note, let us take a look at the list of candidates who can bat at No.4 in Shubman Gill's absence, and who Team India should ultimately go with.

#1 Sai Sudharsan

In terms of pure pecking order, Sai Sudharsan is the first name on the list, and the outright candidate from the bench to slot into the playing XI to cover for a batter's absence. His exclusion from the first Test was a highly debatable topic despite Washington Sundar standing tall against the South African spinners.

With a prime candidate like Shubman Gill out of the team, India would ideally want a pure batter who can pile on runs as the backbone of the batting unit. While India have a replacement for Gill's leadership duties in the form of Rishabh Pant, they still have to figure out where to get his runs from.

In both of India's recent Test assignments, Gill has heavily been among the runs, scoring a significant percentage of it, whether it be home or away. His absence was sorely felt in the first Test against South Africa as India were bundled out twice without any major resistance.

As a result, as far as run-scoring appetite, ability against spin, and familiarity with the position are concerned, Sai Sudharsan emerges as an optimal candidate to bat at No.4.

#2 Dhruv Jurel

Another direction that Team India can look towards is to tap further into Dhruv Jurel's recent purple patch by promoting him in the batting order. The right-handed batter looked relatively assured while batting in the first Test, combating the spinners well with his solid defence, before his unfortunate dismissals across both innings.

Since the new team policy is to 'throw players into the sea' and see what they are made of, with Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube being recent successful example, then there is no obstacle from the management's perspective to try out Jurel in times of crisis. The wicket-keeper batter certainly has the technique to contribute at No.4, and the fact that he is a right-handed batter in a crowd of left-handers works in his favor.

The only thing that theoretically works against him is his lack of experience batting in the position. For Team India, India 'A', and Uttar Pradesh, he has largely batted in the lower middle-order since he has kept wickets, and not played as a pure batter like he is operating now.

#3 Devdutt Padikkal

The Karnataka batter was primed to claim a middle-order spot after the England tour as the selectors cut short the Karun Nair comeback journey. However, for the West Indies series, India pulled off a surprise by including Nitish Kumar Reddy as a sixth bowling option, and a third seam bowler in home conditions.

By the time India dropped the seam bowling all-rounder from the setup, Dhruv Jurel knocked down the door to claim the spot in the batting order. As a result, Padikkal has had a frustrating time on the sidelines, as he waits for his Test career to take off after a promising debut in early 2024.

Padikkal comes across as a decent fit at No.4, but there are also quite a few cons that do not help him to rest his case with some authority. The fact that he has slipped in the pecking order, as well as his poor recent form, will be something that the management might keep an eye on.

For Padikkal to overthrow existing options like Sudharsan and Jurel and be considered a go-to option, he needed very strong numbers and form. In the recent home series for India 'A' against South Africa 'A', the southpaw did feature at No.4 but returned poor scores. Across four innings, he had a high score of just 24, and recorded double figures just once.

#4 Nitish Kumar Reddy

If India somehow want a right-handed candidate in a left-handed heavy setup, while maintaining their existing combination with Dhruv Jurel in the lower middle-order, and also gain an extra seam bowling option, then they can take a gamble with Nitish Kumar Reddy in the role on a one-off basis.

The all-rounder has proven to be a capable batter in the early stages of his international career, and featured as high as No.5 in his previous Test outing against the West Indies in Delhi.

Conclusion: All said and done, both Nitish Kumar Reddy and Devdutt Padikkal are left-field options, but Team India have not been averse to such calls in recent times. However, with pure in-form batters like Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel among the list of candidates, the preference should ideally go towards them.

As far as picking one between Sudharsan and Jurel is concerned, India are better off thinking along orthodox lines for the time being, considering the situation they are in. They might have to accept the fact that they have to go overboard with the left-handers to keep Jurel at the position where he has found recent success.

Moreover, if Jurel is promoted to No.4, it leaves a massive void in the lower middle-order, and bringing in another all-rounder in Nitish Kumar Reddy might not be the solution. Considering Sudarshan's potential against spin bowling, his recent improvement in the Indian setup, and the overall composition and balance of the side, he is the best candidate to feature in the batting order in place of Gill.