A toe injury suffered before the fourth T20I is set to keep Gill out of the final T20I here as India would want to take a cautious route, more so when there is a ready replacement for the top order slot in Sanju Samson.
India cricketers, along with coach Gautam Gambhir, visited Shri Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri on Tuesday to seek blessings ahead of the first T2OI of the five-match series against South Africa, set to be played on the same day at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium.
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
Rishabh Pant, who hit two centuries in the Headingley Test, now trails top-ranked batter Joe Root by just 88 points.
Bumrah will miss a few initial games of the tournament as he is currently recuperating from a back injury at the BCCI Centre of Excellence at Bengaluru.
With Bumrah out of commission, speedsters Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana will have to take responsibility.
'Folks - your Test captain, Shubman Gill.'
The 25-year-old Shubman Gill is a clear favourite to land the high-profile job as Indian embarks on a new World Test Championship cycle.
Gambhir has backed young pacers Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, along with the experienced Mohammed Shami, to step up in Bumrah's absence.
Simon Harmer picked up four wickets as South Africa staged an incredible fightback to shock India by 30 runs in a low-scoring first Test match.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
Virat Kohli moved up to No. 4 in the latest ICC rankings with a match-winning hundred against South Africa in the first ODI at Ranchi boosting his ascend.
MI will hope Jasprit Bumrah returns to his menacing best, which is essential for them to stop an explosive Sunrisers Hyderabad batting unit in its tracks.
The Indian selectors will be announcing the team for the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, starting January 11 in Vadodara and there have been speculations about whether Pant can hold on to his place in the squad.
Now, Javed brushed away concerns over Bumrah's ability to get the better of Pakistan if he features in India's playing XI on February 23.
'When you have a bowler taking wickets consistently, it's understandable that you tend to overbowl him. I don't think we can blame the team management for this.'
Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that India's new T20 approach isn't just about fearless batting, it's about all-round aggression.
Jasprit Bumrah doesn't seem to be a long-term captaincy option given his nagging fitness concerns.
Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets as a rampaging Mumbai Indians demolished Lucknow Super Giants by 54 runs.
Suryakumar Yadav-led India ready for Aussie challenge as T20 World Cup preparation begins.
Hardik Pandya marked his return to the Indian team from a two-month injury layoff with a match-winning half-century.
Images from the second T20 International between India and South Africa, at the PCA's New Chandigarh Stadium, Mullanpur.
From former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth to commentator Harsha Bhogle to the aam Indian, Bumrah was hailed for his top-class showing.
His heroics with the ball have reportedly earned him the nod to serve as Rohit Sharma's deputy for the ICC Champions Trophy to be played next month.
This was India's fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home and in all four Tests -- including three against New Zealand -- their batters have flopped against spin.
Bumrah finished as the leading wicket-taker with an incredible tally though India lost the series 1-3 after the six-wicket defeat in the fifth Test at the SCG
On Day 5 of the 3rd Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, Bumrah shook up Australia's top order early after lunch to carve his name in the annals of Indian cricket history.
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Thursday said the team is "leaning towards" playing lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the fourth Test in Manchester as the visitors look to pull themselves back on level terms in the five-match series against England.
After shouldering the bowling attack and now stepping up to bat, he's proven himself to be an all-round hero.
The collapse, India's lowest failed chase at home, has left behind deeper fault lines than a dry Eden Gardens wicket can conceal.
India Test captain Shubman Gill indicated that the team is moving away from its preference for rank turners in home Test matches.
Shubman Gill has been guilty of taking too much load on himself since his T20 comeback and the Indian team wants him to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, arrived in Delhi on Tuesday and linked up with rest of the Indian team, many of whom were playing in the two-Test series against West Indies.
Pietersen hoped for "sporting wickets" for five-Test series between India and England.
Jasprit Bumrah overtook spin great Bishan Singh Bedi's all-time record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler in an away Test series.
'It (the pitch) wasn't free-flowing. You felt comfortable, but the scoreboard wasn't going anywhere.'
'The stakes are too high and it would have been a complete embarrassment had Bumrah broken down in a match.'
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
Skipper Shubman Gill acknowledged that the choice between a spinner and an extra seamer for the first Test against South Africa is nothing short of a "conflict".
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