Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya Return as BCCI Names India T20I Squad vs South Africa

Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya Make Comeback as India Name T20I Squad for South Africa Series.

Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya have made their much-anticipated return to international cricket as the BCCI named them in India’s squad for the five-match T20I series against South Africa, scheduled from December 9 to 19. Gill has been named vice-captain, subject to fitness clearance.

The series will serve as India’s penultimate bilateral assignment ahead of the T20 World Cup, with five more T20Is against New Zealand to follow before the global event in February.

Gill, who missed the ongoing ODI series after a neck injury during the first Test in Kolkata, has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He completed an unrestricted batting session and will play a final Return-to-Play clearance match on Thursday.

Hardik Pandya returns after an injury during the Asia Cup in September. The all-rounder marked his comeback in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, smashing 77 off 42 balls for Baroda, ahead of the selection committee meeting led by Ajit Agarkar.

India T20I Squad vs South Africa:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.

The squad largely mirrors the lineup from the Australia tour, with Jasprit Bumrah returning after being rested for the ODI series. Abhishek Sharma, in stellar form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will open with Gill, while Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, and Suryakumar Yadav anchor the middle order. The pace attack includes Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana, while Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Washington Sundar take the spin duties. Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma have been selected as wicketkeepers.

T20I Series Schedule:

1st T20I: Cuttack, December 9

2nd T20I: Mullanpur, December 11

3rd T20I: Dharamsala, December 14

4th T20I: Lucknow, December 17

5th T20I: Ahmedabad, December 19