Monitoring Desk
CHENNAI: Team India on Friday was handed a massive concern two days before their ICC World Cup opener against five-time champions Australia as in-form opener Shubman Gill has tested positive for dengue and hence is most likely to miss the match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
According to Indian news agency ANI, Gill has been unwell and suffering from dengue fever. If the star batter misses out, it could turn out to be a huge blow for India as well with the team wanting to get off to a perfect start, especially after their stunning 2-1 win against the Aussies only a week back.
Gill has been in top-notch form this year across formats. In ODIs, he has made 20 appearances this year for India, scoring 1230 runs, the most by a batter in the format in 2023, at 72.35 with five centuries, which includes a record double ton en route to 208, and five half-centuries.
With dengue fever taking a maximum of seven days of recovery period, Gill might also miss India’s second World Cup match against Netherlands, on October 12, with the management wanting the star batter to return to complete fitness before the all-important clash against Pakistan at his favourite venue, Ahmedabad.
With Gill absent, it would be good friend Ishan Kishan taking up the role as an opener against Australia alongside the captain. This would also provide India with a left-right combination at the top of the order which veterans like Ravi Shastri have been talking about.
Ishan has been in an impressive form this year where he scored 409 runs in 13 innings with four fifties while also showing his ability to bat at any position in the line-up. Three of his half-century scores – 52, 55 and 77 in the West Indies ODI series – came while opening the line-up, while he smashed a valiant 82 against Pakistan in India’s Asian Cup opener while batting at No. 5.
