While the Indian cricket team may have a promising start in their inaugural match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup against Australia, the squad is not currently functioning at its maximum potential. Shubman Gill, the team’s opening batsman, is still unavailable due to a recent bout of dengue, affecting his health.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially excluded him from India’s second tournament match against Afghanistan. Furthermore, reports indicate that Gill was admitted to a hospital in Chennai due to a decreased platelet count.
Reports suggest that the BCCI medical team is closely monitoring Shubman Gill’s condition. However, as of now, he is not ready for a comeback.
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His consistently low platelet count led to the decision to transfer him to a Chennai hospital, but currently, he remains unavailable for play.
“Shubman Gill was on a drip at the Chennai team hotel for the last couple of days. However his platelet count dropped to 70,000 and as is the case with dengue patients, once the count is below 100,000, you are admitted to a medical facility as a precautionary measure. Once the count again goes above 100,000, he would be discharged,” a BCCI source told PTI.
Gill was reportedly in Chennai’s multi-care specialty hospital ‘Kauvery’ and the Indian team’s doctor Rizwan is staying with the batter to monitor his progress.
“Team India batter Shubman Gill will not be traveling with the team to Delhi on 9th October 2023. The opening batter who missed the team’s first fixture in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 against Australia in Chennai is set to miss the team’s next fixture against Afghanistan in Delhi on the 11th of October. He will stay back in Chennai and will be under the supervision of the medical team,” the BCCI statement said on Monday.
Not many members of the Indian team have managed to see Gill since they all reached Chennai ahead of the Australia clash. The BCCI has its fingers crossed over Gill’s availability for the Pakistan clash, which will be held on October 14. But, the match might be coming a little too soon for the star batter.
If Gill’s situation improves, he could be flown to Ahmedabad directly ahead of the Pakistan clash but proving his match fitness in such a short span of time after contracting dengue could be tricky.