Team India’s star batter Shubman Gill is down with dengue and has missed the first two games of the World Cup 2023. While Gill is yet to completely recover, former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh called him and motivated him to get ready for the much-awaited IND vs PAK clash in Ahmedabad on October 14.
The game against Pakistan is quite crucial for the Men in Blue as it’s arguably the biggest rivalry in world cricket. While the Indian team will like to field their best XI against the arch-rivals, there isn’t any clarity about whether Shubman Gill will participate or not in the all-important match.
To bounce back from dengue is really difficult: Yuvraj Singh
Speaking exclusively with News18, Yuvraj Singh stated that he had called Shubman Gill and motivated him to play the game against Pakistan. However, he also mentioned the fact that it’s difficult to bounce back from dengue.
“I did call him and told him, ‘Main do baar dengue mein khela hun, World Cup mein bhi meri tabiyat theek nahi thi. To khadaa ho jaa aur khel because it’s a very important game’ (I’ve played twice with dengue and wasn’t well during the World Cup 2011. So, just get up and play),” Yuvraj Singh told News18.
“Anyway he’d played if he was feeling better. But to bounce back from a viral or dengue is really difficult. It sucks everything from your body. I’m really looking forward to see him playing that game,” the former all-rounder further added.
The Rohit Sharma-led side missed the services of Shubman Gill in their first two World Cup 2023 games against Australia and Afghanistan. Team India’s top order faced a disastrous collapse as Rohit, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were departed for ducks.
Things could have been much better for the Men in Blue if Gill was available for that game considering the kind of technique he possesses against the new ball. The young opener is also the highest run-getter for Team India in the past 12 months.
The Pakistan team will look to use the new ball quite aggressively with the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf in their playing XI. Shubman Gill’s presence can certainly make a difference considering the kind of form he is in.
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Meanwhile, the Indian team management and skipper Rohit Sharma will certainly not want to rush the things either considering how important Gill would be in the knockout stages of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.