Ahead of their opening match of the Cricket World Cup 2023 on Sunday, the Indian cricket team is having to deal with a great worry. India’s star batter Shubman Gill is suspected to be suffering from dengue and the batter is a doubtful starter for Sunday’s match against Australia. Ishan Kishan could open the innings in case Gill is ruled out. The BCCI is yet to confirm the nature of the illness. “He’s under the weather, the medical team is closely monitoring him. We are hoping he gets better soon. We will have to wait on more updates from the medical team,” the medical update from BCCI stated.
India head coach Rahul Dravid provided more update. “He’s certainly feeling better today,” Dravid said during a press conference.
“The medical team is monitoring on daily basis. We have 36 hours, we’ll see what decision they take. He’s certainly feeling better today. Medical team hasn’t ruled him out as yet. We’ll keep monitoring him on a day to day basis. We’ll see how he feels day after tomorrow.”
Gill, India’s most prolific batter in ODIs in recent times, is reportedly down with high fever and will be tested for dengue on Friday before a final call is taken on the matter.
“Shubman has had high fever since landing in Chennai. His tests are being done. He will have tests on Friday and a call will be taken on his participation in the opening game,” a BCCI source privy to the developments told PTI on condition of anonymity.
It is learnt that Gill is being tested again for dengue and, if it is confirmed, he could well miss a couple of games.
The recovery from dengue normally takes 7-10 days for a player to be match-fit again. However, if there is a significant drop in the platelet count, it could take much more time.
While Gill could be a non-starter against Australia, there is a high chance that he won’t play against Afghanistan (Oct 11) and Pakistan (Oct 14) in case the recovery takes more time.
“Let’s not jump the gun. If it’s normal viral fever, he could play on antibiotics but it’s completely the medical team’s call,” the source said.
Gill, who has scored 1,200 runs this season, has forged a successful opening stand with skipper Rohit Sharma of late. If he is absent for a long period of time, it could well be a big setback for the Indian team.
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