Shubman Gill is ready to make a comeback for India in the forthcoming T20I series against South Africa, with head coach Gautam Gambhir saying that he is “fit and fine, hungry to go.” Gill had been sidelined with a neck injury – suspected to be a pinched nerve – he sustained while batting in the Kolkata Test last month. He subsequently rested and underwent therapy at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where doctors ruled that he would have to take five weeks off before returning to full training.
Gambhir expressed the update at a time when India beat South Africa 2-1 in the Vizag ODI series, and it emerged that Gill is ready to return to his opening spot. India had made multiple changes in his absence. For the second Test in Guwahati, Rishabh Pant was made captain, but India went on to suffer their heaviest defeat in Tests by margin of runs. He would also open alongside Rohit Sharma in the ODI series that followed and even hammered a maiden ODI ton in the decider.
Gill’s comeback will also see him reuniting with close friend Abhishek Sharma as India shifts focus to the T20Is. There is more good news for the team too, with Hardik Pandya making a comeback after being sidelined by injury for over two months; it was another big confidence boost for India as they wait to overcome England in terms of all-round options.
Cuttack, New Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad will host the five T20I matches on December 9, 11, 14, 17 and 19, respectively. The side will once again be led by Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy will be Shubman Gill.
India’s T20I Squad for South Africa Series 2025
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana.
