Why is Shubman Gill not playing today’s IND vs AUS 2023 World Cup match? 

Shubman Gill is absent from India's squad for their 2023 World Cup opener against Australia due to illness. The right-handed opener is recovering from dengue and didn't travel to Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium with the team.

This is said to be the peak phase for the spread of the dengue virus in India, which gets transmitted through mosquitoes. Its usual symptoms include fever, chills and fatigue. Recovery time varies for each individual but symptoms usually last a week.

Rohit Sharma confirmed the news at the toss, saying:

"Unfortunately, he didn't recover in time. We were waiting till this morning but unfortunately, he didn't."

It hasn't been confirmed when Gill got the virus. However, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid had sounded a positive note about his recovery on Friday.

"He [Gill] is certainly feeling better today than he was yesterday, so that's a positive, but the medical team is monitoring him on a day-to-day basis, so we'll see," he said in a press conference.

Rohit, too, didn't confirm that he was ruled out in his press conference on Saturday, October 7.

"Gill is not feeling well, giving him every chance to see how he feels. Not ruled out yet. He is sick, I feel for him. I want him to be well. As a human being first, not as captain. He is a young boy, has fit body and he will recover," he said.

India will hope he's fit for their second match against Afghanistan in Delhi on October 11.

---

Who has replaced Shubman Gill in India's playing 11?

India have brought in Ishan Kishan to take Shubman Gill's opening spot. The left-handed batter was picked in the team not only as a backup wicketkeeper but also as a versatile batting option. He filled in for Shreyas Iyer during the Asia Cup in the middle order but has an excellent record as an opener in ODIs.

In seven matches at the top of the order, Kishan has scored 448 runs at an average of 74.67 with a strike rate of 125.14.