Aakash Chopra shares Gautam Gambhir’s advice on managing Shubman Gill’s workload

With India entering a must-win situation for the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, the main point of worry has been captain Shubman Gill's injury. After injuring his neck during the Kolkata Test, Gill has reportedly been ruled out of the upcoming match, triggering concerns over his growing workload across formats. Meanwhile, former cricketer-turned commentator Aakash Chopra revealed a piece of advice from head coach Gautam Gambhir regarding India’s workload-management dilemma.

Gill’s neck spasm, which forced him to retire hurt in the first innings and miss the entire second innings, has grabbed immense attention. This is his second neck-related issue in just over a year, and medical experts have advised him to get more rest to avoid aggravating the condition. 

Notably, Gill has been carrying substantial responsibility as he captains India in Tests and ODIs and also served as T20I vice-captain for the 2025 Asia Cup, and continues to lead the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. This heavy calendar triggered conversations around whether the 26-year-old needs more structured workload management. Chopra, speaking about the rising narrative, shared advice from Gambhir. According to Chopra, Gambhir revealed that if a player feels overworked, the IPL is the place to cut down.

"I asked this question to Gautam before the Test match against the West Indies. His point was that if you need workload management, then skip the IPL. If you don't want to lead because leading the IPL team puts too much pressure, then don't lead. And while playing for India, if you are fit, you are not mentally fatigued,” he said, as quoted by India Today.

Play as much as you can if there is no fitness concern: Aakash Chopra

The former added that batters in good form typically want to play as much as possible. With no major signs of burnout from Gill apart from this injury, he believes the captain should continue maximising his time in the middle, provided he stays fit.

"And as a batter, I can also second the opinion that when you are going through a good form, you really want to maximise. Because you never know when the bad form hits you and where the next one is going to come from. So, if there is no fitness concern per se and if there is no mental burnout concern that is very individual-specific, you stay with them and you play as much as you can, as often as you can," he added.

Meanwhile, Gill’s unavailability for the Guwahati Test has forced India to now consider B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, or the returning Nitish Kumar Reddy as possible replacements.