Shubman Gill hospitalised in Chennai, chances of playing World Cup clash against Pakistan slim: Report
After missing India’s first two matches of the World Cup 2023 against Australia and Afghanistan, it now appears that Shubman Gill is set to sit out of the high-octane Pakistan clash on Saturday as the batter continues to recover from dengue.
On Monday, the BCCI, for the first time, addressed Gill’s condition, released a statement saying that the 24-year-old did not travel with the team to Delhi, where India will play Afghanistan on Wednesday. However, what the BCCI didn’t reveal is that Gill has been hospitalised in Chennai following a dip in his platelet count and is currently being treated in Kaveri hospital.
As first reported by Cricbuzz, Gill’s low platelet count has raised concerns, prompting medical experts to recommend treatment and discourage air travel. BCCI’s own physician, Dr. Rizwan Khan, is currently attending to Gill in Chennai. Gill landed in Chennai with the rest of the Indian team but has been absent since October 4, the day prior to India’s World Cup opener.
The thing with dengue is that although the fever might subside and the platelet count may improve, the weakness takes time to leave the body. So even if Gill’s condition improves and the batter is discharged, he may join the team in Ahmedabad. However, whether he will be match-fit is another case altogether. Even if Gill was to reach Ahmedabad on the 12th or the 13th, he would have not undergone a single practice session. If this is the case, it is unlikely that the BCCI would want to rush him back. They did the same to Jasprit Bumrah in September last year, and the outcome was out there for everyone to see.
India will be in for a real predicament if Gill doesn’t recover in time for the Pakistan tie. They promoted Ishan Kishan to open with Rohit Sharma, but he got out for a first-ball duck. Even if this was to be discarded as a one-off failure – Ishan scored three consecutive half-centuries against West Indies in August – the absence of Gill is a huge blow. Not only is he India’s most in-form batter, having scored 1230 runs this year at an average of 72.35, the fact that he loves batting in Ahmedabad – his home ground in the IPL for the Gujarat Titans – is where India might miss the flamboyant opener.
At the Narendra Modi stadium alone, Gill has racked up 572 runs from 9 matches with a highest of 128 including three fifties and two centuries. He has a strike-rate of 172.80 in Ahmedabad and has smoked 52 fours and 23 sixes. Although Gill is yet to play an ODI at this venue, he already has centuries in T20Is – 126 not out against New Zealand – and Tests – 128 against Australia during this year’s Border-Gavaskar trophy.