3 reasons why India need not worry if Shubman Gill is ruled out of Australia clash in 2023 World Cup
Opening batter Shubman Gill is suffering from dengue as per reports, making him a doubtful starter for Team India's 2023 World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai on Sunday, October 8.
The 24-year-old has been in the form of his life in 2023, particularly in the 50-over format, where he is the leading run-scorer in the world. Gill has smashed five centuries and as many half-centuries in 20 ODIs this year at a staggering average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.
He also scored 74 and 104 in the first two ODIs against Australia in the series before the World Cup that India won 2-1.
With the highly anticipated clash against the five-time world champions fast arriving, it remains to be seen if Gill recovers in time to start. While his absence could be devastating for Rohit Sharma's men at the start of the prestigious event, it should not be a major setback for the side.
Here are three reasons why Team India have nothing much to worry about should Shubman Gill be ruled out of the Australia clash of the 2023 World Cup.
#1 India have an excellent backup opener in Ishan Kishan
Team India are among the few teams in the 2023 World Cup to be blessed with a high-caliber opening batter in their reserves.
While Ishan Kishan was in a dogfight with Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav for the No. 5 position, Gill's absence will have him back at his favorite opening position. The southpaw boasts phenomenal numbers as an opening batter in ODIs, with an average of almost 75 and a 125 strike rate in seven innings.
The 25-year-old also smashed a double century in Bangladesh at the end of last year and has notched up three half-centuries in five matches as an opener in 2023.
Apart from ODIs, Kishan has vast experience opening the batting in T20s for India and his IPL franchises. While his T20I numbers as an opener are respectable, his IPL numbers at the top of the order are exceptional, with an average of 37 and a strike rate of 139.60 in 47 innings.
Kishan opening the batting will also help India maintain a right-left combination with skipper Rohit Sharma on the other side.
#2 Gill's absence now could be a blessing in disguise later in the tournament
One of India's biggest debacles in the 2019 World Cup was the lack of role clarity in the second half of the tournament.
While the Men in Blue appeared settled at the start of their campaign, injuries to opener Shikhar Dhawan after the first three games and later to Vijay Shankar during the Pakistan clash cost the side dearly.
The Virat Kohli-led side were forced to open with KL Rahul to replace Dhawan, and later roped in Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik to pluck the middle-order holes with the injury to Shankar.
This led to a lack of match practice and cohesion in the middle order on the big day when India's batting completely collapsed against New Zealand in the semi-final, costing them the World Cup.
Fast forward to the 2023 tournament, and India are still pondering over their No. 5 batter, with Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav as the possible options.
The absence of Gill will mean Kishan will open the batting, leading to at least one of Shreyas and Surya to bat at No. 5 in a pressure-cooker World Cup clash against a strong opponent.
While the duo displayed exceptional form during the recent Australia ODI series, the World Cup is a different beast, and being exposed early rather than late, like in 2019, could be a blessing in disguise for Team India.
#3 Gill has struggled on slow and turning tracks like Chennai
Despite all the hoopla surrounding Shubman Gill, a minor chink in his armor remains the inability to perform consistently on slow, low, and two-paced turning wickets.
While his numbers are unimpeachable this year, the 24-year-old struggled for most of the West Indian tour before the Asia Cup. With the wickets in the Caribbean not coming on to the bat, Gill could not find adequate timing and was dismissed reaching out to the ball several times.
The elegant batter scored 50 only twice in 10 innings across formats in the West Indies and was often undone by spinners or bowlers taking pace off on two-paced surfaces.
Gill has also historically been less than his best self on the Chepauk wicket in Chennai across all formats. While he has played the lone ODI innings in Tamil Nadu's capital with a score of 37 from 49 deliveries earlier this year, the right-hander has averaged only 23 in the two Tests he has played at the venue.
Even in the IPL, Gill has averaged only 24 at a strike rate of 125 in five innings in Chennai, including a laborious 38-ball 42 in Qualifier 1 this season.
With Australia boasting one of the best bowling attacks in the competition, Gill not playing in Chennai might not be as big a loss as feared by Indian fans.