It’s official now. Shubman Gill is back in the Indian T20I squad as vice-captain. The team selection took place here in Raipur on Wednesday, and Gill has been included on the condition that he passes the fitness test. RevSportz reported it early this afternoon. The official announcement came in the evening. “Subject to fitness clearance from BCCI CoE,” said the BCCI press release.
As this website also reported, Hardik Pandya, too, is back in the fold. The all-rounder missed the Australia tour and the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa. His return is a real positive for the team with the T20 World Cup around the corner.
RevSportz exclusively reported yesterday that Gill was pain-free and his chances of making the T20I squad remained bright. The five-match series against South Africa starts on 9 November.
Usually, the selection committee names squads for ODIs and T20Is at the same time when they follow each other. This time, though, the T20I squad was not announced, and Gill’s injury was the reason. The Ajit Agarkar-led panel was ostensibly waiting to hear from the specialists at the CoE where the player checked in for his rehab.
Gill had retired hurt during India’s first innings in the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens. He was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata and, although he was discharged in a day, the pain didn’t subside completely. He missed the second Test in Guwahati and then the ongoing ODI series. In terms of recovery, though, Gill has progressed steadily and he should now be ready to play again.
BCCI meeting
Meanwhile, the cricket board’s top brass had an informal discussion with India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Agarkar today. The future roadmap for Tests, communication between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and coordination between the selection committee and the team management were among the issues discussed. The BCCI rightly didn’t want to hold a formal review meeting in the middle of a series.
As for Rohit and Kohli playing domestic cricket, a BCCI functionary said they have been doing so on their own.
India squad for T20I series against SA:
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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