Vice-captain Shubman Gill arrived in Bhubaneswar on Saturday night, setting the stage for his eagerly awaited comeback in the five-match T20I series against South Africa. The 26-year-old had been ruled out of the ODI leg after sustaining a neck injury during the first Test in Kolkata—an unfortunate setback that forced him to miss the remainder of the Test series as well.
Gill touched down in Bhubaneswar “fully recovered,” as confirmed by team sources. A video of him sitting comfortably on the team bus beside childhood friend and teammate Abhishek Sharma quickly went viral, signalling his smooth return to the national setup.
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His recovery was overseen at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he spent a few days undergoing final fitness assessments. Gill batted, fielded, and completed medical evaluations under the supervision of the board’s support staff. Head coach Gautam Gambhir later confirmed after the third ODI in Visakhapatnam that the opener had cleared all fitness tests and was ready for action.
“Yes, Shubman is ready to start. That’s why he has been selected. He is fit, fine, and hungry to go,” Gambhir said.
Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma Bonding 🤝 pic.twitter.com/WxOZ6PKNdy
— GURMEET GILL (@GURmeetG9) December 7, 2025
Vice Captain Shubman Gill has arrived in Bhubaneswar, Odisha ahead of T20 series against South Africa 🤍!!#ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/1cEsHmuAmu
— Shubman 🤍 (@_77Foreverr_) December 7, 2025
“Yes, Shubman is ready to start. That’s why he has been selected. He is fit, fine, and hungry to go,” Gambhir said, sounding confident about Gill’s return at the top of the order.
Meanwhile, most players from both the Indian and South African squads reached Bhubaneswar on Sunday morning, flying in from Visakhapatnam on a chartered flight. Since Gill wasn’t part of the ODI squad, he joined the group later in the evening. The focus now shifts to the opening T20I in Cuttack, where preparations are already in full swing.
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Local reports revealed that Hardik Pandya wasted no time getting into rhythm. The all-rounder visited the Barabati Stadium on Sunday evening for a private training session, becoming one of the first Indian players to hit the ground ahead of the high-voltage clash.
