Shubman Gill is on track to return to India's playing XI for the second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval starting on December 6, after recovering from a thumb injury that kept him out of the series opener in Perth. The 25-year-old right-hander resumed his first net session on November 29, and according to Gill, his recovery went better than expected.

Gill, who had missed the Perth Test due to an injury sustained during a warm-up match, shared his excitement about his progress, saying, “It was my first day, and I was just trying to get a feel to be honest, see how the injury is reacting if there was any kind of soreness. But it actually went much better than what I and Kamlesh bhai expected. I am very happy with that,” Gill said in a video uploaded by BCC.

Before the injury, Gill had been in fine form during India’s home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. However, a thumb injury during a practice match at the WACA ruled him out of the first Test in Perth, where India secured a 295-run victory to go 1-0 up in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Reflecting on his absence, “When I got to know about my injury, for the first couple of days, I was quite low and disappointed. Perth was the only venue where I didn’t play when we came the last time and I was looking forward to playing there at such an iconic venue. The way we played that game, at the end of the day, I was very happy,” Gill added.

With Gill potentially making his return to the top order alongside Rohit Sharma, who also missed the Perth Test due to paternity leave, India's lineup could see significant changes. In Gill's absence, Devdutt Padikkal batted at number three, managing scores of 0 and 25, while Dhruv Jurel may be the one to make way for Gill in the Second Test.