ODI World Cup 2023: Likely Shubman Gill’s absence poses uncomfortable questions for Team India

The Indian cricket team on Sunday showed grit and determination to win in Chennai against Australia. One man who was missed during the game was young Indian opener Shubman Gill. The 24-year-old is down with dengue and couldn’t recover in time for the start of the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup. 

Rohit Sharma and his team will next play on Wednesday against Afghanistan in New Delhi. Shubman Gill is set to miss the second game as well as he is still being laid low with illness. This has opened yet another chance for Ishan Kishan to open the batting against Afghanistan.

Team India’s top-order woes were on full display on Sunday in Chennai. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood had the Indian team reeling at 2/3. Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer failed to open their account. How exposed will India’s batting be with two huge games this week?

Make or break week for India in 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup

Afghanistan Cricket Team is no pushover when it comes to international cricket. Rohit Sharma will know this as he was the skipper when India famously tied a game during the 2018 Asia Cup. A year later Afghanistan nearly pulled off a huge upset but Mohammad Shami spared blushes to the Indian team with a hat-trick. The Afghans are now ready with their arsenal for the ODI World Cup 2023 game on Wednesday against India. 

Afghanistan possesses some of the world’s best spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rehman. Rohit Sharma has historically been a slow starter and he struggles to get going against spin early. Shubman Gill during his amazing 2023 ODI form has had no such issues against the slow bowlers. 

Ishan Kishan has talent in abundance and there is no doubt about this but its temperament can be questioned at times. During the chase against Australia facing just his first ball, Kishan slashed at a wide ball. The result was a first ball duck, this from a batter who was enjoying a purple patch not long ago. 

If India decides to play Mohammad Shami as a third pacer or go for Shardul Thakur then Ishan Kishan will be benched. This will create a new problem for India, who opens with Rohit Sharma? There is only one option and that is KL Rahul but the 31-year-old is a vital cog in the Indian –middle order.

As per reports, Shubman Gill’s chances of playing against Pakistan are really low. According to a source of the Indian Cricket Body despite Gill being discharged there is mass apprehension of his status for the big game on Saturday against the Pakistanis.

The source in question without being named said to the media “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 is the case with dengue patients, once the count is below 100,000, you are admitted to a medical facility as a precautionary measure”

India will need to pull up their socks because there is a high chance that Shubman Gill may not play on Saturday. Rohit Sharma has had issues with Shaheen Shah Afridi in their brief duels. The Pakistani left-arm seamer has struggled a bit against left-handed batters. This makes Ishan Kishan a key player and it is imperative for the youngster to find his groove.