Shubman Gill is set to make his return from a neck spasm injury for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, pending final fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. The board confirmed on Wednesday that Gill is progressing well and is expected to rejoin the squad soon.

The neck issue occurred during the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata last month. Just three balls into his innings, Gill felt sharp discomfort after slog-sweeping a delivery for four. He was forced to retire hurt and did not return to bat, adding to India’s struggles in a disappointing home defeat. The setback also ruled him out of the second Test in Guwahati, where India suffered a massive 408-run loss, their heaviest Test defeat.

As a precaution, the ODI captain was advised to rest and undergo rehabilitation, resulting in his absence from the ongoing ODI series. His return now comes at a crucial time, as India looks to build consistency in the shortest format.

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India has stuck with the core group that clinched the T20I series in Australia. A significant boost for the team is the comeback of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who returns after a two-month layoff due to a left quadricep injury. Hardik showed excellent form on return, smashing an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls to guide Baroda to a successful 223-run chase against Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

🚨 NEWS 🚨#TeamIndia‘s squad for the 5⃣-match T20I series against South Africa announced.

Details ▶️ https://t.co/3Bscuq6Gri #INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/0bHLCcbwTD

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 3, 2025

The five-match T20I series kicks off in Cuttack on December 9. The second match will be held in New Chandigarh on December 11, followed by the third in Dharamsala on December 14. Lucknow will host the fourth game on December 17, while the series finale will take place in Ahmedabad on December 19.

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India squad – Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar