"I don't think he will play the Pakistan match" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill travelling to Ahmedadad for IND vs PAK World Cup 2023 clash
Aakash Chopra is delighted that Shubman Gill has travelled to Ahmedabad but doesn't see the opener playing India's marquee World Cup 2023 clash against Pakistan on Saturday (October 14).
Gill missed India's tournament opener against Australia in Chennai and didn't travel with the team for their second game against Afghanistan in Delhi on Wednesday (October 11), as he was hospitalised due to dengue.
The Punjab batter has reached Ahmedabad ahead of the Men in Blue's crunch game against Pakistan on Saturday (October 14), but there's no clarity on whether he will be fit enough to take the field.
Reflecting on the development in a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra wasn't too optimistic about Gill's chances of playing the Pakistan game. He said (8:55):
"Shubman Gill is traveling to Ahmedabad, even though you and I don't know the platelet count. Since he is going, we are hoping that he is getting close to becoming fit.
"I am hoping, but I don't think he will play the Pakistan match. I feel he will still take rest because dengue is a bit of an issue."
Chopra added that the stylish batter will be missed at his happy hunting ground if he's unable to play the game:
"It takes time to recover and come back. So he might not be available for this match. The good news is that he is no longer in hospital and is travelling as well.
"So things are looking a little better. If he had played in Ahmedabad, it would have been enjoyable because Gill likes Ahmedabad a lot."
Gill has enjoyed great success at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Apart from his exploits in the Indian Premier League, he has scored a Test century and a T20I hundred there.
"Ishan Kishan's 47 runs were important" - Aakash Chopra
![Ishan Kishan (right) played second fiddle to Rohit Sharma in India's win against Afghanistan. [P/C: AP]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/10/d60d3-16970883626760-1920.jpg?w=500)
Considering Shubman Gill's potential unavailability for India's clash against Pakistan, Aakash Chopra highlighted the importance of Ishan Kishan returning to run-scoring ways against Afghanistan.
He observed (2:45):
"Ishan Kishan's 47 runs were important although they came off 47 balls only. They were important because he will probably play the match on the 14th. Since he has to play, he needs to go with some form at least. So in that way, it was very, very important."
Chopra was also happy about Virat Kohli continuing his run-scoring ways and Shreyas Iyer spending some time in the middle:
"Virat Kohli - he did what he does always. He hit the winning shot, came out of the Virat Kohli pavilion, the crowd was happy, and he kept his arm around Naveen-ul-Haq's shoulder as well. All's well that ends well. Shreyas Iyer also got to bat a little."
Kishan scored a run-a-ball 47 and added 156 runs for the opening wicket with Rohit Sharma (131 off 84). Kohli and Shreyas remained unbeaten on 55 and 25 respectively as India completed a comprehensive eight-wicket win against Afghanistan with 15 overs to spare.