Gill, who sustained a neck injury during the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata, had been sidelined since. His selection signals a cautious return, and he may miss the initial matches until fully cleared by the medical team. Hardik Pandya also returns to the T20 squad after recovering from an injury sustained during the Asia Cup. Pandya impressed with a fifty for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, marking a strong comeback.
The full squad includes Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, and Washington Sundar. Notably, Rinku Singh, despite a T20 strike rate of 161.76 and an average of 42.30, was excluded from the squad.
In parallel, the BCCI launched India’s new T20 World Cup jersey in Raipur ahead of the tournament starting 7 February. The launch event featured BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia, T20 squad member Tilak Varma, and tournament brand ambassador Rohit Sharma.
The T20 series follows the ongoing ODI matches between India and South Africa, with the third ODI scheduled for 6 December in Raipur. The series will serve as a critical platform for both teams to fine-tune strategies ahead of the T20 World Cup.
South Africa’s squad is captained by Aiden Markram and features Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, and other key players, setting the stage for a competitive contest.
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