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India's T20I vice-captain, Shubman Gill's road to international return begins on Monday with the mandatory fitness assessment protocols at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence. Gill has been out of action since suffering a neck injury on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa, missing the second Test and the ongoing ODI series, during this period.
The next few days at the COE in Bengaluru will determine his return to action for the upcoming T20I series against the Proteas starting December 9.
Before announcing the squad for the five-match series, the Indian selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, will be waiting for Gill's fitness report from the Sports Science team at the COE.
"Gill was administered an injection and advised 21 days of rest and rehabilitation, which included specific exercises to strengthen the muscles of the injured area. Obviously, the sports science team would go through all his mandatory fitness tests before he starts the skills training.
"Nothing can be said unless the sports science team assesses his movements during skills training and whether he is having zero discomfort while batting," a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
While it's good news that Gill has reported to Bengaluru for assessment, his return for the SA T20Is seems to be 50-50.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has been cleared to return to the T20 format and is set to play his first match in nearly two-and-a-half months against Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
He is also expected to play the December 4 game between Baroda and Gujarat. Playing SMAT to prove his form and fitness for India's comeback, Pandya will be closely watched by national selector Pragyan Ojha, who will be in attendance during both the games.
"From October 21 to November 30, Hardik didn't even move out of the COE and completed his full rehab and 'Return To Play' protocols. As of now, he has been given the all clear -- to bat and bowl in T20Is -- and he has already linked up with the Baroda team for the Punjab game.
He will play on December 4 vs Gujarat, and if the Indian team management doesn't summon him earlier, then he plans to play the December 6 game against Haryana also," a source in the know of the developments at the COE told PTI.
India currently lead South Africa 1-0 in the 3-ODI series after a 17-run win in the series opener in Ranchi. The second and third ODIs will be played on December 3 and 6, respectively.
