T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill will be a big name missing from the India Playing XI for the decisive IND vs SA 5th T20I, slated to be played on December 19. With the Men in Blue currently leading the five-match series 2-1, they still have a chance to seal the contest after the penultimate game was abandoned without a ball being bowled. However, Gill’s absence will definitely be a setback in their ambitions.
The reason for Shubman Gill missing the encounter is because of a foot injury he suffered in the nets prior to the Lucknow fixture before it was called off. He was advised rest in Lucknow and also in the upcoming match in Ahmedabad as a precautionary measure, although an official update on his return is yet to come.
In Gill’s absence, India haved called up Sanju Samson to the XI, who has been waiting for a chance after spending time on the flanks and can pair Abhishek Sharma at the top.
The teams will now head into the final fixture which will be a decider for either India to seal the series or for the Proteas to salvage a draw after previously losing the three-match ODI series 2-1.
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
South Africa Playing XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman
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Going into the T20 World Cup 2026, Gill’s form will be a concern for India. In the three matches he played against the Proteas, Gill managed 32 runs at a subpar average of 10.66. His overall numbers in T20I in 2025 also isn’t much impressive, averaging under 25 with 212 runs in 15 innings.
With India set to co-host and defend the ICC title next, India will hope Gill finds his rhythm back and works out his issues before it is too late.
On the other hand, Gill’s absence gives Sanju Samson a big opportunity to stake his claim in the playing XI with his chances slowly fading away with Jitesh Sharma’s growing success.
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