"I lost about six kilograms"- Shubman Gill opens up on suffering from dengue during 2023 World Cup
Team India opener Shubman Gill recently spoke about how devastated he was after testing positive for dengue ahead of the ongoing 2023 World Cup.
Gill revealed that he had symptoms of the mosquito-borne illness during India's final warm-up match against the Netherlands at the Greenfield International Stadium.
He mentioned that he lost six kilograms during the period, which was one of the most challenging things for him. Speaking to the ICC, the talented youngster said:
"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 also emphasised the importance of scoring big runs while being in good form. He suggested that his main focus is to bat for a long period, 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."
Notably, Gill was ruled out of India's 2023 World Cup matches against Australia and Afghanistan due to dengue. He returned to the side for the crucial encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan, scoring 16 runs off 11 balls.
"To be able to be as consistent as you can be is the real challenge" - Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill further stated that performing consistently at the highest level is one of the biggest challenges. He claimed that it can get tough to have the same hunger in all matches.
The 24-year-old elaborated:
"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."
Gill has been in tremendous form in 2023 With 1325 runs from 23 matches at an average of 66.25, he is currently the leading run-getter in ODIs this year. In the 2023 World Cup, he has mustered 95 runs from three outings.