Shubman Gill, Team India’s opener, recently expressed his heartbreak after testing positive for dengue ahead of the upcoming 2023 World Cup.
Gill said that he experienced mosquito-borne disease symptoms during India’s final warm-up game against the Netherlands at Greenfield International Stadium.
He claimed that losing six kg over the period was one of the most difficult things for him. In an interview with the ICC, the bright kid stated:
“I don’t know where I got my dengue. In the second practice match against the Netherlands in Trivandrum, that’s where I started getting the symptoms. It was very frustrating for me, especially because it was my first World Cup. I was looking very forward to it. The hardest aspect for me was the weight loss. I lost about six kilograms.”
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill also stressed the need of scoring large runs when in strong form. He stated that his major goal is to bat for an extended length of time, adding:
“When you know that you are getting the runs, you want to finish the job for your team. You want to be able to be there for as long as possible and score as much as possible. That has been what I have been striving for.”
Shubman Gill
Notably, due to dengue fever, Gill was ruled out of India’s 2023 World Cup matches against Australia and Afghanistan. He was recalled to the squad for the critical match against archrival Pakistan, where he scored 16 runs off 11 balls.
“To be able to be as consistent as you can be is the real challenge” – Shubman Gill
One of the most difficult obstacles, according to Shubman Gill, is constantly performing at the greatest level. He remarked that maintaining the same level of hunger in all bouts might be difficult.
The 24-year-old continued:
“Playing for your country is a motivation in itself, and to be able to win and perform every game and to be able to have that motivation and hunger in you is a bit challenging at times. But to be able to be as consistent as you can be is the real challenge.”
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill has been in fantastic form in 2023. He is the highest ODI run-getter this year, with 1325 runs from 23 matches at an average of 66.25. He has 95 runs from three appearances in the 2023 World Cup.
