Shubman Gill, India’s star opener, has returned to the playing XI for Saturday’s 2023 World Cup match against Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
Shubman Gill wasn’t a part of the first two games as he was recovering from dengue fever and Ishan Kishan had to be the temporary replacement opening batsman. However, captain Rohit Sharma confirmed at the toss that he is back in the team and naturally, there was an enthusiastic response from the crowd to the announcement.
The youngster has been in impressive form in the lead-up to the World Cup and the Indian cricket team will certainly benefit from his presence.
Fans on X (previously Twitter) were likewise overjoyed to see Gill back in action for the hosts. Here are some of their reactions:
India Make One Change, Shubman Gill Replaces Ishan Kishan
Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first, believing that the surface will remain consistent throughout the game and that the dew effect would benefit the Men in Blue. Babar Azam asserted that if Pakistan had won the toss, he would have bowled first.
While the apparent alteration for the hosts is Gill replacing Ishan Kishan, the bowling attack remains the same as it did against Afghanistan. Mohammed Siraj struggled against Afghanistan and will be fired up to make a statement against his arch-rivals.
India must be cautious not to let Pakistan to get a score that would provide their bowlers with enough runs to play with.