India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Timeline: India vice-captain Shubman Gill will miss the fourth T20I against South Africa on Wednesday, December 17, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. According to Cricbuzz, Gill has suffered a foot injury and will miss the match. The development comes as a setback for India in the ongoing five match series.
Gill had returned to the team after recovering from a neck injury sustained during the first Test in Kolkata. He missed the second Test and the ODI series against South Africa before making a comeback in the first T20I.
The 26-year-old has faced pressure over his place in the T20I squad ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to start on February 7. Since his return during the Asia Cup, Gill has scored 291 runs in 15 T20I innings this year, averaging 24.25 with a strike rate of 137.25. He has yet to score a half-century in T20Is in 2025.
Sanju Samson is expected to replace Gill in the playing eleven and open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. The game has been delayed due to fog, and official confirmation will come once play resumes. Samson has not played in the first three T20Is of the series. He last appeared in a T20I during India’s tour of Australia. In 2024, Samson scored 512 runs in 14 matches with an average of 39.38 and a strike rate of 182.20.
In the series so far, Gill has scored 32 runs in three matches. He made four runs in the opener at Cuttack, followed by a golden duck in the second match at Mullanpur. He showed some form in Dharamshala, scoring 28. His average in the series is 10.66, with a strike rate of 103.22.
