Shubman Gill recovered from Dengue Fever and started net practise
Shubman Gill, the outstanding batsman for India, is allegedly recovering from dengue ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup match India vs Pakistan and could participate in his first training session in more than a week on Thursday.
Shubman Gill, who was absent from India’s first two World Cup games, arrived in Ahmedabad on Wednesday but is still questionable for the match between India vs Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium. “Gill flew out of Chennai yesterday in the evening and arrived in Ahmedabad last night. He will now probably fall to the ground today, and we will then observe how the body responds to exercise. There won’t be any hurry; everything will be done gradually.
After India’s six-wicket victory over Australia, Gill did not accompany the team to Delhi for their second game and was rumoured to be sick with dengue, however, the team management never verified this. The opening batter, a 24-year-old man, was brought to a hospital in Chennai for treatment but was eventually released after his condition improved.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official who initially stated that Shubman Gill was “absolutely fine” on Wednesday then clarified that he was unsure whether the Indian batter would train the following day. “Gill is doing great and is scheduled to depart from Chennai for Ahmedabad today. There is still no word on whether Shubman Gill will train lightly at Motera on Thursday. Although it’s difficult to say for sure whether he will be able to play against Pakistan, his recovery has gone well, the BCCI official told Press Trust of India.
The Pakistani skipper Babar Azam took the top spot in the most recent ICC ODI Batting Rankings after the first six days of the World Cup 2023. Gill, who was ineligible for India’s match against Australia and is also unable to participate in their match against Afghanistan, fell just five points short of securing the top spot in the world.
In Gill’s absence, Ishan Kishan started India’s match against Australia at MA Chidambaram, Chennai, last week. Rohit Sharma was the captain. In a 200-run chase, India was reduced to 2 for 3 as Kishan, Rohit, and Shreyas Iyer were all out for ducks. With six wickets and 52 balls remaining, Team India was able to successfully chase down the mark after a disastrous start, owing to a 165-run partnership between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
In the 50-over format in 2023, Gill has scored the most runs with 1,230 runs at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03. He scored two centuries and a half-century in his past four one-day internationals, two of which came against Australia in their recently finished bilateral series.
Ishan Kishan has replaced Shubman in the playing XI and started the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. On October 8, Ishan got out for a duck in his debut World Cup game against Australia. He hammered a run-a-ball 47 against Afghanistan in the following match to regain some semblance of form.
Kishan is a capable substitute even if Shubman is unable to develop the necessary match fitness, and he can work wonders against the uninspired Pakistani bowling attack. While Naseem Shah’s absence from the series is also noticeable, Shaheen Afridi has yet to rediscover his mojo.