ICC World Cup 2023: Shubman Gill discharged from hospital; can he play in IND vs PAK match?
Shubman Gill discharged: India opener now appears to be poised to miss India’s pivotal encounter against Pakistan on Saturday after sitting out of the team’s opening two World Cup 2023 matches against Australia and Afghanistan. This is because the batter is still recovering from dengue. For the first time, the BCCI addressed Gill’s health on Monday and said that the 24-year-old did not go to Delhi with the team, where India will play Afghanistan on Wednesday. After his platelet count dropped, he was later hospitalized in Chennai, but on Monday night he was released. However, Gill is still a questionable starter for the crucial World Cup match against Pakistan on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
PTI claims that due to concerns highlighted by Gill’s low platelet count, medical professionals advised therapy and advised against flying. Dr. Rizwan Khan, a physician employed by BCCI, is currently caring for Gill in Chennai. With the rest of the Indian team, Gill arrived in Chennai but has been missing ever since October 4, the day before India’s World Cup debut.
“Shubman Gill was on drip at the Chennai team hotel for the last couple of days. However his platelet count dropped to 70,000 and as it is a case with dengue patients, once the count is below 100,000, you are admitted to a medical facility as a precautionary measure. He was admitted for all mandatory tests on Sunday night when India played Australia but by Monday evening was released,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Shubman Gill discharged from hospital; can he play in IND vs PAK match?
The weakness caused by dengue takes time to go away from the body, even if the fever may go down and the platelet count may increase. Therefore, the batter might join the squad in Ahmedabad even if Gill’s condition gets better and he is released. But whether he will be physically fit for the job is a different matter entirely. Gill would not have participated in a single practice session even if he arrived in Ahmedabad on the 12th or 13th. If so, it is unlikely that the BCCI would want to send him back right away. In September of last year, they did the same to Jasprit Bumrah, and the results were clear to everybody.
If Gill is unable to recover in time for the match against Pakistan, India will be in serious trouble. Ishan Kishan was elevated to open alongside Rohit Sharma, but he was dismissed for a first-ball duck. Even if this were to be written off as an isolated incident—Ishan struck three back-to-back half-centuries against the West Indies in August—Gill’s absence is a major setback. He is not only India’s best batter, having amassed 1230 runs at an average of 72.35 this year, but he also prefers to bat in Ahmedabad, which is where the flashy opener plays for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL.
Gill has amassed 572 runs from 9 matches in the Narendra Modi stadium alone, with a best of 128 and three fifties and two centuries. He has blasted 52 fours and 23 sixes in Ahmedabad, where his strike rate is 172.80. A century in T20Is (126 not out against New Zealand) and Tests (128 against Australia) during this year’s Border-Gavaskar cup have already been achieved by Gill, who has yet to play an ODI at this location.
Thank you for reading.
