Shubman Gill ruled out of IND vs SA 2025 5th T20I due to toe injury: Reports

Team India will be without vice-captain Shubman Gill for the upcoming fifth and final T20I of the home series against South Africa. The opening batter will reportedly miss the contest due to a toe injury.

According to a Times of India report, Gill was hit on the toe during a batting practice session on the eve of the fourth T20I in Lucknow. The report suggested that the 26-year-old was in a lot of pain and even struggled to walk, making him unavailable for the game.

The report added that Gill has now been ruled out of the fifth T20I as well. His underwhelming T20 form has been a big talking point lately. The series marked his return from a neck injury sustained during India's Test series opener against South Africa in Kolkata.

He missed the subsequent ODI series because of the same injury, and KL Rahul was named the stand-in skipper in the regular captain's absence. Gill has scored just 32 runs across three innings at an average of 10.66 and a strike rate of 103.22.

The Men in Blue currently lead the series 2-1. Notably, the fourth T20I was abandoned due to excessive fog in Lucknow. The final encounter is scheduled to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, December 19.

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"A bit confusing" - Former India batter on Shubman Gill's approach in T20s

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa hailed Shubman Gill as a once-in-a-generation player. However, he emphasized that the star batter's approach in T20 cricket has been quite confusing of late.

He opined that Gill could focus on batting like how Virat Kohli and Aiden Markram have done for India and South Africa, respectively, in the format. He said on JioHotstar (quoted as saying by Revsportz):

"I think with a player like Abhishek Sharma, you need to give him the freedom to play the way he wants. Now, does someone like Shubman Gill at the other end help him do that, or does someone like Sanju Samson, with whom he has had a strong opening partnership, allow that freedom? I’m not taking anything away from Shubman Gill — he’s a phenomenal, once-in-a-generation, three-format player. However, the way he has been approaching T20 cricket lately has been a bit confusing and hasn’t really served him well.

"There is a method to how he scores runs. He can play a role similar to what Aiden Markram or Virat Kohli did for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup — batting at a strike rate of around 140–150, playing proper cricket, a template that has worked for him in the IPL and T20Is."

Shubman Gill has 869 runs to his name from 36 T20Is. He averages 28.03 and his runs have come at a strike rate of 138.59.