Shubman Gill is “ready to start, fit and fine, and hungry to go” for the five-match T20I series against South Africa. That’s what India head coach Gautam Gambhir said after the team’s ODI series victory in Visakhapatnam.

Going by that, Gill, who has been out of action for over three weeks due to a neck injury, will most likely return to the field in Tuesday’s T20I series opener at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Individually, it’s good for Gill as he won’t have to sit out longer. But from the team’s point of view, is Gill’s inclusion in the squad aiding India?

Gill’s returns in the Asia Cup in the UAE earlier this year weren’t great. Making a comeback to the T20I squad after more than a year, he averaged 21.16 in seven innings, batting upfront alongside his Punjab teammate Abhishek Sharma. But then in the five-match series in Australia, he aggregated 132 and averaged 44, remaining unbeaten twice.

Besides, he finished with a strike rate of around 132 against an Australian attack better than that of most of India’s opponents in the Asia Cup. That certainly bodes well for India’s T20I vice-captain.

“At the end of the day, Shubman is a quality player irrespective of the format. Given his quality, you’ve got to back him, and that’s what the team management is doing,” former national selector Devang Gandhi emphasised.

“You can’t always judge by numbers. Even Virat Kohli didn’t have a great World Cup in 2011 after the century against Bangladesh. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni kept backing him.”

Since Gill’s inclusion in the XI, Sanju Samson, who played as an opener, had to bat at No.5 on most occasions, something that hasn’t appeared to be too comfortable for the keeper-batter. “Samson has had a fair amount of chances so far. But has he been consistent enough?” Devang asked.

“Also, he has opened (for Kerala) on all occasions in this Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, which implies he may not be too willing to adapt to the No.5 position.”

The concern for Gill, though, is his workload as an all-format player and his presence in the leadership group. “I’m still trying to figure out how to manage it,” Gill had said earlier.

“To sort this out, a plan needs to be prepared so that Shubman can afford to sit out in series against lower-ranked teams. That way, he can stay fresh,” Devang suggested.