Bhubaneswar: Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya are set to return to Indian squad with the inaugural T20I clash with South Africa at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on December 9.
Gill appeared energetic and determined as he arrived in Odisha capital on Sunday night, having fully recovered from a neck injury, which he suffered during the first Test match against the Proteas in Kolkata following which he had to miss the IND vs SA 2nd Test and the three-match ODI series. The 26-year-old completed batting and fielding sessions at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru prior to earning the board’s full go-ahead.
A viral video circulating on social media shows him sitting in the team bus alongside his longtime childhood friend and teammate, Abhishek Sharma.
Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma Bonding 🤝 pic.twitter.com/WxOZ6PKNdy
— GURMEET GILL (@GURmeetG9) December 7, 2025
Gill’s presence is set to bolster India’s top order with both stability and firepower, giving the batting lineup a major lift and injecting fresh confidence into the squad before the five-match T20I series.
India’s coach, Gautam Gambhir, had earlier confirmed his inclusion in in the shortest format of the game after the ODI series triumph over South Africa, stating, “Yes, Shubman is ready to start. That’s why he has been selected. He is fit, fine, and hungry to go.”
Similarly, Hardik Pandya, who arrived in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, was spotted practising at Barabati Stadium on Sunday. He too is gearing up for his international comeback, having last played for India in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four match against Sri Lanka in September.
On the other hand, Indian cricketers, who were a part of the ODI squad, took a chartered flight from Visakhapatnam to Bhubaneswar on Sunday morning to tide over the IndiGo mess.
India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar
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