Indian World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh is optimistic that young Indian opener Shubman Gill will be able to participate in the much-awaited India-Pakistan game at the ICC World Cup in 2023. He said that he inspired the Indian youngster by discussing his own battle with cancer while competing in the 2011 World Cup.
Shubman Gill missed out on the first two games of the World Cup after being diagnosed with dengue fever. He was hospitalised in Chennai, therefore he didn’t travel with the team for the second game in Delhi and directly flew to Ahmedabad for the game against arch-rivals Pakistan and started practice on Thursday in Motera.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Yuvraj Singh revealed that he motivated young Shubman Gill by sharing his experience of playing with cancer during the 2011 World Cup. He is hopeful of the youngster taking the field for the game against Pakistan on Saturday after recovering from dengue fever.
“Shubham Gill ko maine tagda kar diya hai (I have strengthened Shubham Gill). I told him that I had played in the World Cup while battling cancer, so I got ready quickly to join the team. Hopefully, he will be ready for the India vs Pakistan game.
“When you have a fever and dengue it is really tough to play a cricket match and I have experienced that. So I hope that if he is fit then he will definitely play,” Yuvraj Singh said
Shubman Gill has scored 1,230 runs in 20 innings at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03, being the World’s leading run-scorer in the ODI format of the game in 2023. His highest score was 208 in a 50-over match against New Zealand and could be a crucial miss for the Indian team if he fails to play against Pakistan in the high-octane encounter.
I Think At The Moment Both The Teams Are High On Confidence – Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh wants the Indian team to enjoy the occasion of playing the game against Pakistan and believes that the Men in Blue would be riding high on confidence after starting the tournament on high in the home conditions and asserted that both the teams will come into the clash with good momentum winning the two out of their two games.
“This time will not come back, so enjoy it. Not just this match, there are more matches after this. Hopefully, it will be a good match,” he maintained.
“India is already confident because they have beaten Australia and Afghanistan. It was a brilliant hundred from Rohit Sharma. I think at the moment both teams are high on confidence, and it should be a cracker of a game.
“Mohammad Rizwan is in great form. Both teams have outstanding games. Especially for Pakistan, they chased 300-plus runs against Sri Lanka, so it will give them a lot of confidence,” Yuvraj Singh added.
In 50-over World Cups, India has defeated Pakistan seven times, and this will mark their eighth meeting in the major competition Rohit Sharma-led side will look to extend their winning run in the marquee event on their home soil, while Pakistan will look to turn things around in the game against India in the ODI World Cup 2023.