Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad on standby to join India as Shubman Gill's backup for ICC CWC 2023 - Reports

Published at :October 10, 2023 at 5:59 PM

Modified at :October 10, 2023 at 5:59 PM

Shubman Gill was hospitalized in Chennai and did not travel with the team to Delhi.

Team India won their opening game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against Australia in Chennai. They registered a quiet, comprehensive 6-wickets win after some early struggles in the batting department. Men in blue almost checked all the boxes in the game against Australia. But while chasing India, they lost all three top-order batters for nothing, which could be a problem going forward. In-form opener Shubman Gill missed that match.

He was diagnosed with dengue and was not fully fit to be part of the team. Team India are scheduled to play their second game on Wednesday against Afghanistan, which will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Shubman Gill is still not fit, and according to some media reports, he will also be missing the high-voltage clash against Pakistan on October 14 in Ahmedabad.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ruturaj Gaikwad could join Team India as backup for Shubman Gill

Gill hasn't travelled with Indian team to Delhi and was hospitalised in Chennai after complaining about fatigue. He is advised to stay on rest for 48 hours before the next assessment can be done on Thursday. It is unlikely that Gill will be fit enough to feature in any game and will need at least 8–10 days before getting match-ready. That will leave the team management with few choices.

So if the management asks for a backup option, Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ruturaj Gaikwad could be the choice to travel with Indian team. Shubman Gill was in the form of his life, and India did miss him in the opening game against Australia. He is the highest scorer across formats in 2023 and has scored plenty of runs in ODI cricket. His absence will be a huge upset for Indian team.

Ishan Kishan replaced him as an opener in the game against Australia but got out for a golden duck, playing a rash shot. Indian team will try to ensure that Shubman Gill can be fit until India's fourth game against Bangladesh on October 19.