In an exciting turn of events, Indian cricket fans can expect the return of Shubman Gill in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 clash against Pakistan. Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian cricket team, dropped hints regarding Gill’s participation in this crucial match, which is scheduled to take place at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium this Saturday.
Gill’s absence from India’s initial two matches against Australia and Afghanistan, attributed to a bout of illness, raised concerns among fans. However, India holds a dominant 7-0 head-to-head record against Pakistan in ODI World Cups, offering a glimmer of hope for supporters.
The talented Indian opener had been receiving medical treatment in Chennai but has since made his way to Ahmedabad. “Shubman Gill is 99 per cent fit, and we will see tomorrow,” Rohit Sharma announced during a pre-match press conference held on Friday. Notably, Gill was the lone Indian player to engage in training on Thursday, underlining his determination to make a swift return.
Gill spent nearly an hour at the nets, and a full-fledged training session was planned for the following day. Over the past year and a half, he has been an invaluable asset for the Indian team. Gill presently leads in run-getting for the year in this format, amassing an impressive 1230 runs at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03. He has notched two centuries and two fifties in his last four ODI games.
Both India and Pakistan managed victories in their first two matches of the tournament. With Gill’s anticipated return to the playing XI, the Indian team is poised to become even more formidable. Despite Pakistan’s lead of 73-56 in head-to-head ODIs, India has maintained a perfect record in 50-over World Cup encounters against their arch-rivals, dating back to 1992.
In their most recent match against Afghanistan, the Indian team secured an emphatic 8-wicket win. A stunning performance from pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who claimed four wickets for just 39 runs, set the stage for India’s victory. The top-order batsmen, including skipper Rohit Sharma (131), Ishan Kishan (47), and Virat Kohli (55*), led the Men in Blue to victory with more than 14 overs to spare.
Squads:
India:
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Hardik Pandya (vc)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- KL Rahul
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shardul Thakur
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Shami
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Ishan Kishan
- Suryakumar Yadav
Pakistan:
- Babar Azam (c)
- Shadab Khan
- Fakhar Zaman
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Abdullah Shafique
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Saud Shakeel
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Salman Ali Agha
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Usama Mir
- Haris Rauf
- Hasan Ali
- Shaheen Afridi
- Mohammad Wasim