Cuttack, Dec 9 (IANS) Shubman Gill, India’s vice captain for the five-game T20I series against South Africa, said that his body was feeling ‘perfectly fine’ heading into the series as he made a return to international cricket after recovering from a neck injury.

Gill sustained a neck injury during the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata last month and underwent rehabilitation before being cleared by the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. Following India’s 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa on Saturday, head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed Gill’s readiness for the five-match T20I series.

The 26-year-old was then named in the playing XI for the series opener and will open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma while also taking on the leadership responsibilities as skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy.

Speaking to Murali Kartik, one of the members of the commentary and presentation panel for the series, before the start of play here in Cuttack, Gill said that he is mentally ready to get back to the grind. “Body feels perfectly fine. I spent a bit of time at the CoE and perfectly fine physically and mentally feeling ready,” Gill said.

When Kartik asked him how he had been feeling and the nature of his neck injury, which kept him out of the Indian setup for nearly a month, he stated, “I had a disc bulge in my neck which was hitting the nerves. When I went there, I had a bit of a spasm before the start of the play in the morning and when I played the match I think I got a strain on my neck and got a bulge which hit the nerves. I had to go to the hospital for a couple of days but recovered well on time.”

Speaking of the game, South Africa won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first. Gill, however, couldn’t make a mark on his return and was dismissed cheaply, scoring just four runs off two deliveries. After hitting Lungi Ngidi for a four off the first ball he faced in the match, the Protea pacer got the better of the Indian opener and dismissed him on the next ball as India were reduced to 5-1 just three balls into the game.

–IANS

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