Shubman Gill defies all odds with miraculous recovery, bats for 1 hour to raise hopes of playing vs Pakistan
Shubman Gill, who missed the first two matches of this World Cup after testing positive for dengue fever, hit the nets for the first time in more than a week.
Team India received a huge shot in the arm as soon as they landed in Ahmedabad on Thursday ahead of their big-ticket World Cup 2023 encounter against Pakistan on Saturday (October 14). Shubman Gill, who missed the first two matches of this World Cup after testing positive for dengue fever, hit the nets for the first time in more than a week. Gill was the only Indian cricketer who practised on Thursday in Ahmedabad as the rest of the team members took a day off after beating Afghanistan on Wednesday. Gill had reached Ahmedabad on Wednesday night after boarding the flight from Chennai while the rest of the Indian cricketers reached Thursday morning.
Gill took throwdowns for about an hour at the Narendra Modi Stadium nets. While this is a great sign for Team India, there is still no clarity on whether he will be available for selection for the Pakistan match on Sunday. Gill's recovery has been way quicker than expected. He was discharged from a hospital in Chennai only on Monday night after being admitted on Sunday for a drop in platelet count.
Generally, a person takes at least 10-12 days to recover from dengue and then be ready for physical activities. Gill, who apparently was down with high fever as soon as the team landed in Chennai on October 4, did not travel to Delhi for India's match against Afghanistan.
Will Shubman Gill play in India vs Pakistan World Cup 2023 match?
His progress is closely being monitored by the Indian team's doctor Rizwan. But the fact that Gill was allowed to go out and bat for close to an hour as early as Thursday means his recovery is going in the right direction. This definitely erases doubts about his participation in India's match against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19. With still seven days to go for that match, Gill definitely looks set to play that match.
In fact, his batting session on Thursday has given rise to a glimmer of hope of even seeing him in action against Pakistan on Saturday. The chances for that, however, are still slim as the Indian team management would not want to risk their premier opener.
In Gill's absence, Ishan Kishan has opened the batting for India in the matches against Australia and Afghanistan. He was out for a golden duck in his World Cup debut but scored a free-flowing run-a-ball 47 against Afghanistan. He will open with captain Rohit Sharma against Pakistan too unless Gill's miraculous recovery continues.
India, meanwhile, have gotten off to an ideal start in this World Cup. They beat Australia by 7 wickets in Chennai and followed that up with a commanding performance against Afghanistan that saw them chase down 273 in just 35 overs. India are currently at No.2 points table and they will take on Pakistan, who too have won their first two matches of the tournament - the second one by successfully chasing down the biggest total in the history of World Cups.
