Why is Shubman Gill not playing today's IND vs AUS 3rd ODI?

India have rested opener Shubman Gill for the dead rubber third ODI against Australia in Rajkot. The right-handed batter played all matches of the 2023 Asia Cup as well as the first two ODIs of the series in Punjab and Indore.

He has been in excellent form too. Gill notched up 302 runs at an average of 75.50 during the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, before scoring 74 (63) and 104 (97) against Australia. India won both of the games against the Aussies to take an impregnable 2-0 lead in the series.

Gill's drastic improvement against spin in the last six months combined with his ability to bat at a quick clip in the powerplay makes him a crucial player for India.

Gill is among several players rested for the third ODI; the others are Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami.

India will play their first match of the 2023 World Cup on October 8 against Australia. But before that, they'll play a couple of warm-up matches - against England on September 30 and against the Netherlands on October 3.

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

Ishan Kishan was expected to take Shubman Gill's place at the top of the order but the wicketkeeper-batter picked up a viral fever and was declared unavailable for the match.

"Update: Ishan Kishan was unavailable for selection for the 3rd ODI due to an illness," a BCCI statement said.

In their absence, India have KL Rahul and Virat Kohli as possible opening options. Suryakumar Yadav could be a left-field choice as well.

While Suryakumar has never opened the innings in ODIs, Kohli has played seven matches at the top of the order, with the last one coming in late 2022. He has just 166 runs at the position with an average of 23.71.

On the other hand, Rahul scored 915 runs from 23 innings at an average of 43.57 as an opener before moving to and solidifying his place at No. 5.