India captain Rohit Sharma confirming a 99% availability with respect to batter Shubman Gill on the eve of their third ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match has come as a refreshing update for millions of fans.
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Gill, who missed the first two matches against Australia and Afghanistan due to dengue fever, is highly likely of participating in a high-octane clash against Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday.
If the practicability of Gill taking the field against an arch-rival wasn’t enough to fire fans’ enthusiasm, the fact that he is almost certain of making his World Cup debut at this particular venue has it in it to entice an unprecedented amount of eyeballs towards him. In what is Gill’s home ground in the Indian Premier League, his tally here this year comprises one T20I and Test century each and two IPL tons.
That being said, Sharma’s press conference followed former India wicket-keeper batter and chief selector MSK Prasad rubbishing speculations around the current selection committee finding a replacement for Gill. For the unversed, the right-handed batter missing a couple of matches was enough for the initiation of unconfirmed media reports around him getting ruled out of the tournament.
Former Chief Selector Rubbishes Shubman Gill Replacement Speculations
Speaking in an interview with Hindustan Times as quoted by NDTV Sports, Prasad urged fans and media to put an end to all speculations related to Gill’s illness. As a matter of fact, he sounded quite assured of the 24-year old player playing an international match after almost three weeks tomorrow.
“I think we can put an end to all kinds of speculations. Shubman Gill will definitely play this game [against Pakistan]. He’s too good a player to miss out. He had just a fever. He has recovered. It was not threatening at all that we would even think about replacements. It’s all rumours that are coming out [about the seriousness of the illness] in whatever form that you are hearing.”
Prasad, who was appointed Director – Talent Search and Academies at Lucknow Super Giants a couple of months ago, labeled Gill’s absence as a mere “precaution”. If truth be told, Gill received a lot of concern after his stay in Chennai was extended by a day due to frequent visits to the hospital. Prasad, however, oozed confidence from the fact that Gill batted for an hour upon landing in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Two Indian Players Were Injured During ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
While Prasad didn’t sound to be a proponent of replacing Gill in India’s 2023 World Cup squad, the then 44-year old had to make a couple of changes to India’s World Cup squad four years ago.
For those who have forgotten, India had lost the services of batter Shikhar Dhawan and all-rounder Vijay Shankar during the World Cup in England. While Dhawan was ruled out due to a thumb injury, Shankar had to return home after suffering a toe injury.
As and when these two players were injured, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant and uncapped batter Mayank Agarwal were added to the original 15-member squad.
Prasad, who had lost the faith of a section of Indian fans by that point in time, was severely criticized for not including Ambati Rayudu into the squad in spite of previously considering the former Indian batter as the right person to capitalize the No. 4 spot. Other than the chairman of selectors, then-captain Virat Kohli had also highlighted a need for the team management to back Rayudu till the World Cup.
