India are set to play their toughest match on October 14 against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, and their only headache ahead of the blockbuster event appears to be over. The reason is that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that opener Shubman Gill is “99 percent” available for selection.
The talented youngster missed India’s first two World Cup matches – against Australia and Afghanistan, as he suffered from dengue fever. However, Gill was seen doing an intense networking session in Ahmedabad on Thursday morning.
Earlier, Gill tested positive for a viral infection when the team arrived in Chennai for India’s World Cup opener against Australia. He was then admitted to the city hospital the next day due to his low platelet count.
Read also: ICC World Cup India-Pakistan 2023: ‘Shubham jil ko mein tajda kar diya hai’ says Yuvraj Singh
Although he was released from hospital the next night, the BCCI ruled him out of Afghanistan’s match in Delhi, and as a result he did not travel with the team.
On Thursday, Gill arrived in Ahmedabad and, according to reports, went straight to the Narendra Modi Stadium at around 11 am and spent over an hour training. He then went into the batting nets with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) where he lined up six net bowlers and a bowling specialist for the star opener.
The latest update on Gill’s health is a huge relief for Team India heading into the clash against Pakistan, as he has been India’s most fit player in an ODI this year.
Looking at his stats, Gill has scored 1230 runs in 2023, at 72.35 with five centuries and as many fifties. In Ahmedabad, he scored 280 runs in five innings that included two centuries, both of which he scored this year – one in T20Is and the other in Tests. Also, as part of his IPL team Gujarat Titans, Gill smashed 572 runs, the most by any player at a single venue (Ahmedabad) in an IPL season in India, in nine innings in the 2023 season which included two hundreds and three fifties.
Now, if Gill returns to the playing XI, it means India will bench Ishan Kishan, who opened in his place. Kishan managed two innings against Australia before making his way to a run-ball 47 against Afghanistan.
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Updated: October 13, 2023, 09:27 PM IST
