ODI world cup 2023 Cricket

'Prince ready to hunt' -  Fans react as Shubman Gill returns to India's playing XI against Pakistan in 2023 ODI World Cup

Gill has been suffering from a high fever since landing in Chennai for India's opening match against Australia. He was diagnosed with dengue and was even admitted to hospital.

author-image
Mathew K
New Update
Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill

After days of speculation, Shubman Gill is back in Team India's Playing XI for the high-octane India vs Pakistan 2023 ODI World Cup clash. A day before the crucial encounter, Indian captain Rohit Sharma had dropped a major update on Gill, saying the opener would be 99% available on Saturday, October 14. Meanwhile, India won the toss and opted to field first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

Advertisment

Gill has been suffering from a high fever since landing in Chennai for India's opening match against Australia. He was diagnosed with dengue and was even admitted to hospital after his platelet count dropped below one lakh. The right-hander, as a result, missed the first two matches against Australia and Afghanistan. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and has been practising net in Ahmedabad for the past two days. 

"We'll assess the pitch and conditions and then take a call on our playing combination and Shubman Gill is 99% available for selection tomorrow," Rohit said at the pre-match press conference in Ahmedabad on Friday. 

Gill has been a special player for us: Rohit Sharma 

Advertisment

With the 24-year-old returning to the team, Ishan Kishan had to sit out. Ishan, who opened alongside Rohit Sharma, went for a duck in the first match but scored 47 runs against Afghanistan. Speaking at the toss, captain Rohit praised the southpaw for stepping up when the team needed him. However, he added that Gill has been a special player for Team India in recent times and given his record in Ahmedabad, Ishan is unfortunately missing out. 

"Gill is back in place of Ishan, unfortunate for Ishan to miss out, feel for him, he stepped up when we needed him. Gill has been a special player for us over the past year or so, especially at this ground and we wanted him back," Rohit said during the toss. 

India vs Pakistan Playing XIs

Advertisment

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Pakistan (Playing XI): Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Here's how fans reacted to Shubman Gill's return to India's playing XI:

India Pakistan Shubman Gill featured ODI World Cup 2023