The prolific opening pair of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma were reunited ahead of the upcoming five-match home T20I series against South Africa. The vice-captain recently missed the second Test and the ODI series against the Proteas due to a neck injury.After visiting a specialist in Mumbai and undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Gill was cleared for the T20I series. His participation was subject to fitness, as mentioned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) when the squad was announced. However, he has linked up with the team ahead of the series opener at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Abhishek Sharma, on the other hand, after a stellar tour of Australia, featured for Punjab in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) group stage. He maintained his fine run of form by scoring two fifties and a hundred, before joining the national team. The pair were seated together on the team bus, where Gill was apparently trying to show Abhishek Sharma something on his phone, and sharing a laugh while at it. Have a look at the moment right here: The pair are slated to continue their alliance at the top, given Gill's return from injury. They have been slotted together since the ace batter's return to the T20I setup as the vice-captain in the 2025 Asia Cup. Shubman Gill batted without any discomfort at the Centre of Excellence ahead of IND vs SA 2025 T20Is The right-handed opener had walked off the field during the first innings of the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He had injured his neck while playing a sweep shot against Simon Harmer, and was not involved in the remainder of the series opener. Gill was subsequently ruled out of the second Test in Guwahati, as well as the three-match ODI series. However, he showed promising signs during the lead-up to the five-match T20I series as he batted without any discomfort to make it into the squad.