IND vs SA: Gill looks set for comeback; Pandya gives training a miss

CUTTACK: A fit-again Shubman Gill enjoying banter with best friend Abhishek Sharma on the sidelines of India’s nets session here Monday, augurs well for India as they begin their final-stage preparations ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup at home in Feb-Mar next year.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!In a three-hour long session that started with warm-up, fielding drills and catching practice, Gill batted for about two hours to pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and medium-pacer Shivam Dube, before taking on spinners Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy and Sharma.

He was also seen having long chats with skipper Suryakumar Yadav, head coach

Gautam Gambhir

and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak during the afternoon training session. While Gill looked well set for a comeback partnering Sharma on top of the order for a fire and ice combo, India’s premier all-rounder

Hardik Pandya

skipped the practice session ahead of the opening game.“Right now, both (Gill and Pandya) of them look healthy and fit,” the captain said at the pre-match press conference on Monday. However, it is to be seen how the team management handles Pandya’s workload as he comes back into the side following a two-month injury layoff after last playing the Asia Cup semifinal in Sept.

Gill, the India vice-captain in T20Is — out since Nov 14 after a neck injury in the Kolkata Test, that appeared serious and needed hospitalisation — looked in good touch and opened up to hit big shots without any trace of discomfort.

The batter missed the second Test in Guwahati and the ODI series due to the injury.On Sunday, Pandya had a solo training session at the stadium but also looked in some discomfort after a 20-minute bowling session. Keeping in mind the T20 World Cup in two-month’s time, and with 10 T20Is left before the event, having Pandya in best shape will surely be on top of Team India’s priority list.