Good news for India is that Shubman Gill has been discharged from the hospital and is well recovering. A few days prior to India's World Cup 2023 opener against Australia in Chennai, he tested positive for dengue fever; as a result, he missed the game and was also absent from the Afghanistan game on Wednesday in Delhi. The unfortunate news is that he may not only miss India's third World Cup 2023 match against Pakistan on October 14 in Ahmedabad, but he is also extremely uncertain for their fourth match of the competition against Bangladesh on October 19 in Pune.
On Sunday night, Gill had to be hospitalised to the "Kauvery," a multi-specialty hospital in Chennai, when his platelet count fell below one lakh. According to dengue treatment guidelines, a patient is sent to a hospital if their platelet count falls below one lakh. It was allegedly around 70000. However, Gill was released on Monday night after his health and platelet count both improved.
Gill was brought to the hospital more as a preventative measure, according to India's batting coach Vikram Rathour, and he is now doing well. "He is healing up nicely. Yes, he was hospitalised, but that was more of a preventative measure. He is now back at the hotel and doing great. We thus anticipate that he will recover quickly given that he is being watched by the medical staff and whatever update we receive. He truly has a decent appearance. On the eve of the Afghanistan game in Delhi, Rathour predicted that he will shortly be involved.
*Gill to join Team India in Ahmedabad but no clarity on return date
Gill chose not to go to Delhi for obvious reasons and is presently being monitored by the doctor for the Indian squad, Rizwan. He is still in Chennai, but rumours indicate that he will shortly take a direct flight to Ahmedabad to meet the rest of the squad before the match against Pakistan. He'll take some time to get going again though.
Gill has been told to take a week or more off from work. That indicates that he probably won't begin physical training or pick up a cricket bat until October 17. This eliminates him from the Pakistan match and casts severe doubt over his ability to play in Pune against Bangladesh.
It seems unclear that Gill would be available for the play on October 19 despite the fact that he will likely travel to Pune with the team before the Bangladesh match. If so, Gill will be forced to start playing right away without a good net session. The Indian team management would not want to jeopardise their star opener in the match against Bangladesh because it is a league game and not one that must be won. It takes roughly a fortnight for the body to fully recover from a severe fever like dengue.
As things stand right now, Gill will probably start playing again after the October 22 New Zealand game in Dharamsala.
Rohit Sharma, the captain, had stated that seeing to it that Gill is no longer ill is his top concern.
"I'm sorry for him. But since I'm a human being first, I want him to get well rather than the captain wanting Gill to play tomorrow. I do not; I want him to recover. Young and physically healthy, he would recover soon, Rohit had remarked prior to the match against Australia.
*India look at Ishan Kishan and other options
Selectors might choose to call up a replacement for Gill. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was chosen as an opener during the Australia series and also made a half-century in Mohali, will be the first choice. Gaikwad comes after in the constructed succession line, but Yashasvi Jaiswal, a left-handed wonder who has been in excellent shape, will also be in the running.
Ishan Kishan will bat first with Rohit while Gill is out of the lineup. Rathour claimed that since Kishan likes to be open, there was no need to have a special chat with him.
"He has played as an opener in the past and has done so. There won't be a detailed examination of it. He is aware of the situation. He joined the team for that very purpose. We were aware that he could bat either at the top of the order or in the middle. He's done it before, then. There won't be a detailed examination of it. All I can do is hope he shows up tomorrow," said Rathour.
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