NEW DELHI, Oct 9: Reportedly down with dengue fever, India’s opening batsman Shubman Gill is out of the second match too. Gill who did not play in the first match against Australia in the World Cup held in Chennai on Sunday, will also not be fielded in the second match against Afghanistan to be held in Delhi on Wednesday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday confirmed that Gill, who is reportedly down with dengue fever, did not travel with the team from Chennai to Delhi for the second match and was left behind in Chennai under the medical care. In the match against Australia, Ishan Kishan replaced the opening batter, pairing up with India captain Rohit Sharma.
In a release, the BCCI said: “Team India batter Shubman Gill will not be travelling with the team to Delhi on 9th October 2023. The opening batter who missed the team’s first fixture in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 against Australia in Chennai is set to miss the team’s next fixture against Afghanistan in Delhi on the 11th of October. He will stay back in Chennai and will be under the supervision of the medical team.”
“The mood is pretty good as it is before the start of every big tournament. We’ve come into this tournament prepared really well, so quite confident about us skill-wise. We’re looking forward to the game. Everybody’s fit. Gill is not 100 percent, but he’s sick. So, there’s no injury concern. Gill is not feeling well. We are monitoring him on a daily basis. We’re going to give him every chance to recover and see how he feels. So, he’s not ruled out yet,” Rohit had said in a pre-match press conference ahead of the Australia game.
In Gill’s absence, Ishan is likely to open with Rohit against Afghanistan. The left-handed batter could not even open his account in the match against Australia. He would be keen to change his fortunes against Afghanistan.
With Gill out, Shreyas Iyer is also likely to feature in the middle-order for India’s second World Cup game. He was also dismissed for a duck against Australia.
(Manas Dasgupta)
