"We have 36 hours, we’ll see what decision the medical team takes" - Dravid provides update on Gill ahead of IND vs AUS clash
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid provided a crucial update on Shubman Gill, who is currently dealing with a bout of dengue ahead of the team's opening encounter against Australia on Sunday.
According to reports that made the rounds on Friday, Gill missed Team India's practice session as he has been dealing with a high fever ever since arriving in Chennai along with the rest of the squad. If reports are to be believed, he has tested positive for dengue, which potentially keeps him out of action for a while.
Gill was rested for the third ODI between India and Australia at Rajkot, and should he miss the upcoming high-profile World Cup encounter, Ishan Kishan is likely to claim his place at the top of the order.
Refusing to rule out Gill completely from Team India's 2023 ODI World Cup opener in Chennai, Dravid issued a positive update.
“He’s certainly feeling better today. The medical team is monitoring on daily basis. We have 36 hours, we’ll see what decision they take. He’s certainly feeling better today,” he said during a press conference.
"Medical team hasn’t ruled him out as yet. We’ll keep monitoring him on a day to day basis. We’ll see how he feels day after tomorrow,” Dravid added.
Shubman Gill is Team India's highest-rated ODI batter, holding the second rank in the ICC rankings on the back of his prolific run in 2023. The opening batter scored a hundred in India's triumphant Asia Cup 2023 campaign as well as the bilateral ODI series win over Australia.
"I don’t think this World Cup will be decided on how well you read the pitches" - Rahul Dravid
The 2023 ODI World Cup saw a memorable start with New Zealand outplaying England to claim a nine-wicket win at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The two innings saw a stark contrast in playing conditions, with the Blackcaps chasing down the 283-run target with more than 13 overs to spare as well as nine wickets in hand.
Opining that the key in the ongoing World Cup will be adapting to the conditions on offer, Rahul Dravid said:
“I don’t think this World Cup will be decided on how well you read the pitches but how well you play and execute their plans. Teams will have to adapt to different conditions, teams, pitches.”
Team India will head into their first league match of the 2023 ODI World Cup without any warm-up under their belt as both of their scheduled clashes against England and the Netherlands were washed out due to rain.
Will Shubman Gill recover in time for Team India's clash against Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup? Let us know what you think.