Shubman Gill is captain of India’s Test and ODI team, but after suffering a neck injury on Day 2 of the India-South Africa Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, he is not playing in the ongoing second Test between the two teams at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. The 26-year-old right-handed batter from Punjab was not included in the ODI squad as well on Sunday for the three-match series starting November 30 in Ranchi. And if reports are to be believed, then Gill is unlikely to play for India again in 2025.
There were hopes of him getting fit in time for the T20I series starting December 9 in Cuttack, but according to a latest report in news agency PTI, Gill, who is also the vice-captain of India’s T20I side, is expected to make a comeback during
the ODI series against New Zealand in January 2026.
“The selectors expect that Shubman Gill’s neck injury will heal and he will be back against New Zealand (3 ODIs in January 2026),” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
India will face New Zealand in three ODIs and five T20Is in January 2026. The ODI series opener will be played at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on January 11, and the next two 50-over matches are scheduled to take place at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on January 14 and at Indore’s Holkar Stadium on January 18.
The five T20I matches will be played in Nagpur, Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram on January 21, 23, 26, 28 and 31, respectively.
Jaiswal to replace Gill for SA T20Is?
In the absence of Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to replace him in the T20I squad for the five matches in front of home fans. Jaiswal, who was the member of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup title in 2024 under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, last played a T20I match for India in July 2024 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
Gill was preferred over him for the Asia Cup 2025 and also appointed as the captain. He failed to do much with the bat in the eight-team tournament but was still retained in the squad for the five-match away series in Australia.
