Shubman Gill Dengue: Indian opener in doubt for IND vs PAK match of 2023 World Cup

Shubman Gill is likely to miss India's 2023 ODI World Cup opener against Australia on Sunday due to dengue fever if the reports are to be believed. The young batter missed the team's training session in Chennai and might be replaced by Ishan Kishan at the top of the order if he fails to recover in time.

Given that Gill is currently suffering a bout of dengue, it will be difficult for him to feature against Australia. Team India will be hoping that the in-form batter recovers soon for their remaining league-stage matches of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

According to a report by Cricbuzz, the team management is still unsure about Gill's situation ahead of India's opener against the Aussies.

"He's under the weather, the medical team is closely monitoring him. We are hoping he gets better soon," a team official said.

The same report mentions that Gill could be 'out for a few days, if not longer'. As a result, he could be in doubt for Team India's first set of games of the campaign following the clash against the Men in Yellow.

The Men in Blue are scheduled to play Afghanistan on October 11 in Delhi and arch-rivals Pakistan on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This implies that the opening batter may be battling a race against time to recover for the high-voltage Indo-Pak clash.

A normal bout of dengue potentially takes about a week to subside, and considering that the player has been running a high fever ever since landing in Chennai, he should fully recover sometime across the next week.

Gill might feel weak even after recovery and might need a bit of extra time to regain his fitness. All of these factors make his presence in the playing XI against Pakistan a really touch-and-go prospect.

The illness might have played a part in Team India's decision to rest him for the third ODI against Australia in Rajkot.

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Shubman Gill is placed at No. 2 in the ICC Rankings for ODI batters

It goes without saying that Gill is one of the most integral batters in the current team setup. His current form coupled with his ability make him a nominal threat, with several experts even backing him to be the leading run-scorer in the World Cup, despite it being his first major white-ball event in Indian colors.

As per the latest rankings prior to the 2023 ODI World Cup, Gill is placed only below Babar Azam in the ODI rankings for batters. The youngster has amassed 839 ranking points and is only marginally short of Babar's tally.

Will the opening batter recover in time for the all-important clash against Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup? Let us know what you think.