Aakash Chopra, a former cricketer, believes that opener Shubman Gill will unlikely be included in India’s starting XI for their 2023 World Cup opener against Australia on Sunday, October 8.
According to reports, Gill has dengue. The batter has not yet been ruled out, according to Team India head coach Rahul Dravid, who said during the press conference on Friday that the medical staff is watching him. Chopra responded to Dravid’s words by saying that the player has often been ruled out once the coach makes such remarks.
In advance of the India-Australia 2023 World Cup match, Chopra discussed the Gill scenario in a video on his YouTube channel. He shared his opinions and said:
“Shubman Gill is unwell. At the press conference, Rahul Dravid said that he’s not too bad, and we are watching, and we are not ruling him out. But whenever Rahul Dravid says such things, mostly the player has already been ruled out. I am assuming that Ishan Kishan will open the innings with Rohit Sharma.”
Aakash Chopra
Gill’s potential absence, according to Chopra, is bad news for India because every country wants to start their World Cup campaign with their strongest starting pair. The 46-year-old went on to say:
“It’s not a great story for the simple reason that Shubman and Rohit strike fear [in the minds of the opposition]. It’s not like Ishan won’t be feared, but you want to start the World Cup with your best opening combination. In Mohali, as well as in the next game [against Australia in Indore], Gill was in attacking mode. So, it would have been good if he was there, but that is unlikely to be the case.”
Aakash Chopra
Against Australia in the first two ODIs, Gill earned 74 and 104 points at Mohali and Indore, respectively.
Shubman Gill not ruled out yet, says Rahul Dravid before Australia clash
Gill’s illness was verified by Dravid in a media interview on Friday. The World Cup match against Australia, he claimed, cannot be ruled out just yet. He said:
“He’s certainly feeling better today [Friday]. The medical team is monitoring on daily basis. We have 36 hours, we’ll see what decision they take. Medical team hasn’t ruled him out as yet. We’ll see how he feels day after tomorrow.”
Rahul Dravid
In ODIs, Gill has an outstanding record. With six hundred and nine fifties, he has scored 1917 runs in 35 games at an average of 66.10 and a strike rate of 102.84.