There comes a major setback for the Men in Blue ahead of their ODI World Cup 2023 opening clash against Australia on October 8, Sunday. Their star batter Shubman Gill will miss the match as he is suffering from dengue. He had also missed the net sessions at the MA Chidambaram stadium on Thursday due to the same. As per the reports, Shubman Gill is currently under medical observation.
Ishan Kishan might come in as Shubman Gill’s replacement
D tested positive for dengue earlier this week with another round of Tests scheduled to take place on Friday. His selection in the playing 11 for Sunday’s opener vs Australia will depend on the test results. It will be interesting to see who will open India’s innings along with Rohit Sharma. If Shubman Gill fails to recover on time for the opening clash. In Shubman’s absence, India will have two opening options in the face of Ishan Kishan and right-handed KL Rahul. Considering KL Rahul’s good run while batting at No 5 there are high chances that Ishan Kishan will open innings with Rohit Sharma against Australia.
Shubman’s absence will be felt by India as the prolific youngster is in blistering form, especially in ODI format. He has managed to finish the Asia Cup 2023 as the leading run-scorer with a total of 302 runs in his kitty. Shubman has also ended IPL 2023 as the highest runscorer with 890 runs in his kitty. His blistering form is inevitable whether in ODIs or T20Is. During Asia Cup 2023, Shubman Gill ended his last few innings at 104, 74, 27 not out, 121, 19, 58, and 67 not out. Shubman had a tough time in West Indies but he came back strongly from his lean phase by blasting all cylinders in Asia Cup 2023.
India is free from Injury Spate for ODI World Cup 2023
With every bad news, there comes good news & the same is the case for India. One major boost for the Indian team is that they don’t have any injury concerns in the camp. Ishan who has done well in the past at different batting positions is a like-for-like replacement for ill Shubman Gill. The stunning left-right combination at the top order will be a blessing for hosts who are looking ahead to a winning start in the marquee event.
Veteran batter Virat Kohli will bat at No 3 followed by Shreyas Iyer & KL Rahul. India’s strength is their batting order & Rohit Sharma will be hoping to make use of their strength to the fullest. Just like Ishan & Rahul, Shreyas too looks in good form & overall the entire lineup looks ready to face Australia’s challenge in the ODI World Cup opening clash. As per the reports, Shubman Gill will recover for India’s next clash against Afghanistan.
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