Shubman Gill will not play for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai on October 8 as a result of a positive dengue test. Ishan Kishan and skipper Rohit Sharma are set to begin the batting in Gill’s absence. The alternative is KL Rahul.
The team management had hoped that Gill’s absence from India’s training sessions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday would be due to the illness, but that was not to be the case.
According to the BCCI’s official report, “He is sick.” “The medical staff is keeping a careful eye on him. He needs to get healthy quickly, we hope.
With 1230 runs this year at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03, Shubman Gill is the player with the most runs in ODIs. He scored two hundreds and a half-century in his past four one-day internationals, including two against Australia, his opponents on Sunday.
Kishan or Rahul to Replace Shubman Gill
In addition to his brilliant 82 against Pakistan from No. 5, Kishan has three half-centuries in five one-day internationals as an opener this year. Rahul last started an ODI in August 2022 against Zimbabwe after returning from injury during the Asia Cup. He has opened the batting 23 times in ODIs, accumulating 915 runs overall with an average of 43.57.
India is considered a strong contender to win the trophy, given their performance in the previous edition of the World Cup in 2019. They reached the semi-finals and have previously won the tournament twice, in 1983 and 2011. However, they will face tough competition from Australia, who hold the record for being the most successful team in World Cup history with five titles.