E-Paper
Sign in
Shubman Gill breaks almost month-long silence after recovering from neck injury ahead of comeback in 1st IND vs SA T20I
Shubman Gill has recovered from his neck injury and is now raring to go in the five-match T20I series against South Africa, beginning December 9.
India's T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is back and raring to go in the upcoming five-match series against South Africa, beginning Tuesday, December 9, in Cuttack. The 26-year-old who leads India in Tests and ODIs faced a neck injury in the opening Test of the two-match series against the Proteas in Kolkata, and this resulted in him spending almost a month on the sidelines. The right-hander faced just three balls in the first innings at the Eden Gardens, and after playing a sweep shot off Simon Harmer, the young batter faced pain in his neck, and he eventually had to be taken off the field.
A subsequent hospitalisation resulted in him missing the next Test in Guwahati and then the three-match ODI series against the same opponent. Gill then reported to the Centre of Excellence (CoE) to undergo rehabilitation, and after receiving clearance from the medical team, he was given the go-ahead to join the Indian team in Cuttack for the five T20Is.
On the eve of the opening T20I, Gill opened up on his recovery process, revealing that he is feeling completely fine and is raring to go for the next international assignment.
Also Read: Shubman Gill declared fit by BCCI CoE, will play T20Is against South Africa
"I'm feeling much better. I think the day that I came here, from that day till today, I've had quite a bit of skill sessions and some training sessions. So I feel much, much better now. From recovery to training, I think for an athlete, it can't get any better. You know, it's a paradise for any athlete. You come here, you want to get physically better, you want to get mentally better," said Gill in a video shared by BCCI.
"I mean, you can't ask for better facilities. You know, you can go to the oxygen chamber. There's cryo there. And some of the things that I've used for the recovery have been pretty amazing for me. What stood out for me was there are so many machines that I don't know how to use. That itself tells you, you know, how big the setup is," he added.
‘Cream of the crop’
Gill, who smashed 754 runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England earlier this year, said that after coming to the Centre of Excellence, one realises how high they are in the pecking order, as only top players get the opportunity to come to the centre in Bengaluru and gain access to top facilities.
“We all used to look forward to coming here, spending time with the coaches, training here. When you're coming here, you know you're kind of the cream of the crop. So, you know you have the skill set to be able to reach the next level. And making use of the facility where you know how I can go to the next level physically or how I can go to the next level mentally,” said Gill.
In the absence of Gill, India recently lost the Test series against South Africa. However, the hosts were able to win the ODI series 2-1. Now all focus is on the T20I leg as both teams are gearing up for the T20 World Cup, set to be played in February-March next year.
Gill has been playing non-stop cricket since the Champions Trophy in February. The 26-year-old has a lot to prove in T20Is ever since making a return to the playing XI in the Asia Cup. The daggers are out for Gill since Sanju Samson has been dropped down the order, and the upcoming series against the Proteas and New Zealand can be make-or-break for the T20I vice-captain.
