India batter Shubman Gill will “definitely” play against Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Saturday, according to India’s former chief selector MSK Prasad.
Gill’s quick recovery from a fever has thrown him right in contention for India’s upcoming big match against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The young batter flew to Ahmedabad from Chennai on Wednesday after getting discharged from hospital.
“I think we can put an end to all kinds of speculations. Shubman Gill will definitely play this game (vs Pakistan). He’s too good a player to miss out. He had just a fever. He has recovered,” Prasad told The Hindustan Times.
There had been rumours that Gill’s fever may have been dengue, but that was never confirmed by the Indian management. Prasad said: “It was not threatening at all that we would even think about replacements. It’s all rumours that are coming out (about the seriousness of the illness) in whatever form that you are hearing.”
Gill fell sick in Chennai, where India kick-started their World Cup 2023 campaign with a six-wicket victory over Australia. He then didn’t go to Delhi with the team for their second match of the tournament.
The former chief selector stated that Gill did not travel to Delhi for India’s match against Afghanistan as a precaution.
“What we heard was that as a matter of precaution, he couldn’t play the second game otherwise he was fine. He stayed back for one more day in Chennai as a precaution. He recovered well, and was discharged. This is an all-important game against Pakistan. If he is fit, which I’m sure he is, then he should be in India’s playing XI,” added Prasad.
Gill hit the nets on Thursday, his first practice session in more than a week. In a video shown on Star Sports, Gill looked in a cheerful mood before beginning the practice session.
Team India physio Kamlesh and throwdown specialist Nuwan Seneviratne accompanied the 24-year-old cricketer for the Thursday morning session. The opening batsman batted for around an hour in the Narendra Modi Stadium’s nets.
Gill also faced throwdowns from some net bowlers and did not seem to be in any sort of physical discomfort. Gill, who represents Ahmedabad-based Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), also took some catches to improve his fielding skills towards the end of his practice session.
The opening batsman will have another full-fledged session on Friday, this time with the entire team, on the eve of the Pakistan game. If he fares well and the medical team gives the go-ahead, there is no reason to believe Gill can’t make his World Cup debut on Saturday.
