Team India suffered a huge blow ahead of their World Cup campaign against Australia, as they may be without the services of Indian opener Shubman Gill for the match in Chennai after he tested positive for dengue. The 24-year-old will be a crucial miss for the team if he does not recover on time for the game against five-time champions Australia on Sunday.
According to the reports in ANI, Shubman Gill has reportedly been ill and afflicted with dengue illness. The absence of the ace batter could be a major setback for India as well, who are eager to get off to a great start in the World Cup following their spectacular 2-1 victory over Australia and the Asia Cup championship victory.
The recovery time from dengue fever usually takes up to seven days, so Gill may also miss India’s second World Cup match against the Netherlands on October 12 because the team’s management wants the star batter to be fully recovered before the crucial match against the high octane clash Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
Shubman Gill has scored his fifth ODI hundred this year. The 24-year-old 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.
The 24-year-old has been one of India’s best batsmen in recent months and has dominated in all three formats of the game. Gill is expected to play a vital as an opener for the ODI World Cup in 2023, alongside the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
Shubman Gill has impressed everyone with his consistency at the top of the order alongside the Indian skipper in the 50-over format and could be a vital miss for the Indian team in the World Cup opener.
With Gill not available, young Indian batter Ishan Kishan is expected to open the game against Australia, which would give India the left-right combination at the top of the order. The Southpaw has been in excellent form this year, scoring 409 runs in 13 innings with four fifty-plus scores while demonstrating his versatility in batting the left-handed showcased his form at the top of the order in the West Indies tour and would look to put up a show when provided an opportunity at the top of the order.
