Watch: Shubman Gill shares special bond with Abhishek Sharma ahead of IND vs SA 1st T20I

India’s T20 vice-captain, Shubman Gill, arrived in Bhubaneshwar on December 08 as he stepped into the spotlight ahead of his much-anticipated return for the five-match series against South Africa at home. It will be a massive series ahead of next year’s home T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, as most players will look to give their best to secure a final selection nod. 

Gill's arrival brought a wave of optimism to the Indian camp, as the blue brigade had been waiting for the top-order batter, who had been out of action for two series. The Punjab-born picked up the neck injury during the second day of the opening Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata when he looked to slog sweep the spinner for a boundary.

See Also: Watch: Steve Smith’s heated altercation with Jofra Archer during 2nd D/N Ashes 2025/26 Test goes viral

Gill straightaway sat beside his friend, Abhishek Sharma, in the bus and had a close discussion, which reflected the special bond between the two players ahead of the opening T20I clash at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Watch: Shubman Gill shares close bond with Abhishek Sharma before IND vs SA 1st T20I

Gill has overall smashed 837 runs in 33 innings of the T20I cricket at an average of nearly 30 and a strike rate of more than 140 with the help of three half-centuries and one century at the best score of unbeaten 126 runs against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Watch the video here: 

In the last season of the IPL, the 26-year-old clubbed 650 runs, leading the Gujarat Titans. The right-handed batter has smacked those runs in 15 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87 with the help of six half-centuries at the best score of undefeated 93 runs. He has crossed the 400-run mark in every single season of the IPL since 2020/21.

However, Gill didn’t enjoy a great time in the previous five-match T20I series down under against Australia. He had scores of unbeaten 37 runs, 05, 15, 46, and an unbeaten 29 runs, which didn’t inspire a lot for the selection committee. Hence, this Protea series will be an acid test for the batter.