Sports Desk: Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the upcoming India vs Afghanistan match due to a dengue fever. The BCCI confirmed the news on October 9, 2023.
Gill had been experiencing fever and other symptoms of dengue fever since his arrival in Chennai for the T20 World Cup. He was tested for dengue fever on October 7, and the results came back positive on October 8.
Gill is currently undergoing treatment for dengue fever at a hospital in Chennai. He is expected to make a full recovery, but it is unclear when he will be able to return to cricket.
Gill was ruled out of India’s opening match of the World Cup against Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai having been down with fever for the last few days. In the match against Australia, Ishan Kishan replaced the opening batter, pairing up with India captain Rohit Sharma.
In a release, the BCCI said: “Team India batter Shubman Gill will not be travelling with the team to Delhi on 9th October 2023. The opening batter who missed the team’s first fixture in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 against Australia in Chennai is set to miss the team’s next fixture against Afghanistan in Delhi on the 11th of October. He will stay back in Chennai and will be under the supervision of the medical team.”
“The mood is pretty good as it is before the start of every big tournament. We’ve come into this tournament prepared really well, so quite confident about us skill-wise. We’re looking forward to the game. Everybody’s fit. Gill is not 100 percent, but he’s sick. So, there’s no injury concern. Gill is not feeling well. We are monitoring him on a daily basis. We’re going to give him every chance to recover and see how he feels. So, he’s not ruled out yet,” Rohit had said in a pre-match press conference ahead of the Australia game.
In Gill’s absence, Ishan is likely to open with Rohit against Afghanistan. The left-handed batter could not even open his account in the match against Australia. He would be keen to change his fortunes against Afghanistan.
With Gill out, Shreyas Iyer is also likely to feature in the middle-order for India’s second World Cup game. He was also dismissed for a duck against Australia.