Shubman Gill cleared to play South Africa T20 series after injury recovery

Shubman Gill has been cleared to play the South Africa T20 series after recovering from a neck injury and completing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The T20 vice-captain said he feels “much better” ahead of his comeback

Cuttack: Having recovered from a neck injury, Shubman Gill is feeling good ahead of his comeback in the T20 International series against South Africa after undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

The CoE cleared Gill to play in the five-match series beginning here on Tuesday. India’s Test and ODI captain had injured his neck while attempting a sweep shot in the first Test against South Africa last month, forcing him to miss the second Test in Guwahati and the subsequent ODI series. The T20 vice-captain will now be looking for strong performances against the Proteas.

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“I’m feeling much better. From the day I came here till today, I’ve had quite a few skill sessions and training sessions. So, I feel much, much better,” Gill told bcci.tv..

The BCCI also shared visuals of Gill’s training and rehabilitation under the supervision of strength and conditioning coach S Rajnikanth. Gill was seen shadow practising the sweep shot in the video.

Having spent considerable time at the National Cricket Academy in his formative years, Gill spoke fondly about the facility that has now been converted into a sprawling CoE on the city outskirts.

“Growing up playing under-14, under-16, it used to be a thing among us where we used to say someone has been to the NCA and come back,” he said. “When you come here, you are kind of cream of the crop. You have the skillset to reach the next level and make use of the facility to know how you can go to the next level physically or mentally,” Gill added.