After hammering Australia in its ICC World Cup 2023 opener, Rohit Sharma's Team India will aim for a hiccup-free outing against Afghanistan in their upcoming encounter of the showpiece event on Wednesday. Rohit and Co. will miss the services of opener Shubman Gill, who was also unavailable for the low-scoring clash between India and Australia at Chepauk. On Monday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Gill is not available for selection due to an illness.
The star batter stayed back in Chennai after India's win over Australia. India are expected to continue with wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan in Gill's absence. Sharing his views about Gill's unavailability, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar issued a noteworthy statement. The ex-India cricketer and full-time cricket pundit feels that opener Gill's absence is a bigger setback to the batter than Rohit's Team India.
Gill-less India good enough to beat all opposition at World Cup
"Disappointing for him personally more than the team because the team has enough options to continue to be strong, and we saw that in the first game as well. The team is strong and good enough to beat all the opposition despite Shubman Gill not being there. Having said that, Shubman Gill just makes the team even more stronger and the kind of form that he has been in, you want to cash in. This is the worst possible time that you want to miss matches and it's been beyond his control," Manjrekar told Star Sports.
'Don't see India in trouble too much'
Though Kishan replaced Gill in India's World Cup, the wicketkeeper-batter failed to make an impact as the southpaw was handed a golden duck by Mitchell Starc in the low-scoring encounter. Half-centuries from KL Rahul and Virat Kohli sealed India’s six-wicket win over the five-time champions on Sunday. Opener Gill has been in exceptional form for India in the World Cup year. The Indian opener has slammed five One Day International (ODI) centuries this year. The 24-year-old is also the highest run-getter for India in the 2023 season.
{{/usCountry}}Though Kishan replaced Gill in India's World Cup, the wicketkeeper-batter failed to make an impact as the southpaw was handed a golden duck by Mitchell Starc in the low-scoring encounter. Half-centuries from KL Rahul and Virat Kohli sealed India’s six-wicket win over the five-time champions on Sunday. Opener Gill has been in exceptional form for India in the World Cup year. The Indian opener has slammed five One Day International (ODI) centuries this year. The 24-year-old is also the highest run-getter for India in the 2023 season.
{{/usCountry}}"What I will say though is that the fans, people who come to the ground and the people who watch on TV, will miss him because this guy is extremely watchable. He gets runs beautifully, so it's fun to watch. So that aspect will be lost but I don't see India in trouble too much," Manjrekar added.