Ishan Kishan will take the place of the injured Shubman Gill in the 2023 World Cup match between India and Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, October 8. India’s left-handed hitter, Rohit Sharma, will open the innings.
The statement came from India’s Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) via PTI.
“Shubman has had high fever since landing in Chennai. His tests are being done.”
BCCI Official
At the toss, Rohit said:
“Unfortunately, he (Shubman Gill) didn’t recover in time, we waited till today morning and he couldn’t recover. Ishan comes in to replace him, he will open the batting.”
Rohit Sharma
As a result, the Men in Blue will be without the services of the in-form hitter. This year, Gill is the only player to have scored 1,000 runs in ODIs. In 20 ODIs in 2023, he scored 1230 runs at an average of 72.35, including four tons and a double century.
On September 24, the Punjab-born batsman hit 104 against Australia in Indore in the second ODI of the just finished three-match series.
Kishan, on the other hand, is the ideal replacement for Gill. As an opener, the left-handed hitter has 448 runs at an average of 74.67 in seven ODIs, including a double century.
“Ishan Kishan fits in perfectly as an opening partner” – Dale Steyn
Former South African cricketer Dale Steyn believes Ishan Kishan can perform for Team India in Shubman Gill’s absence. In an interview with Star Sports, he stated:
“I think Ishan Kishan fits in perfectly. Ishan Kishan is another guy that he’s full of duties, he’s full of his exuberance, he is a guy that will do pretty much the same thing. He just hasn’t done it as consistently as someone like Shubman Gill.”
“What Rohit Sharma does, and Ishan Kishan taking that play and he left-handed too, so it brings in that dynamic that there’s always that left-handed, right-handed combination.”
Dale Steyn
Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to field in the match. Marcus Stoinis is out with an injury for Australia.