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<\/p>\nShubman Gill celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the second one-day international (ODI) cricket match between India and Australia at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on 24 September<\/p>\n
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India batter Shubman Gill will \u201cdefinitely\u201d play against Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Saturday, according to India\u2019s former chief selector MSK Prasad.<\/p>\n
Gill\u2019s quick recovery from a fever has thrown him right in contention for India\u2019s upcoming big match against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The young batter flew to Ahmedabad from Chennai on Wednesday after getting discharged from hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can put an end to all kinds of speculations. Shubman Gill will definitely play this game (vs Pakistan). He\u2019s too good a player to miss out. He had just a fever. He has recovered,\u201d Prasad told The Hindustan Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n There had been rumours that Gill\u2019s fever may have been dengue, but that was never confirmed by the Indian management. Prasad said: \u201cIt was not threatening at all that we would even think about replacements. It\u2019s all rumours that are coming out (about the seriousness of the illness) in whatever form that you are hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n Gill fell sick in Chennai, where India kick-started their World Cup 2023 campaign with a six-wicket victory over Australia. He then didn\u2019t go to Delhi with the team for their second match of the tournament.<\/p>\n The former chief selector stated that Gill did not travel to Delhi for India\u2019s match against Afghanistan as a precaution.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we heard was that as a matter of precaution, he couldn\u2019t play the second game otherwise he was fine. He stayed back for one more day in Chennai as a precaution. He recovered well, and was discharged. This is an all-important game against Pakistan. If he is fit, which I\u2019m sure he is, then he should be in India\u2019s playing XI,\u201d added Prasad.<\/p>\n Gill hit the nets on Thursday, his first practice session in more than a week. In a video shown on Star Sports, Gill looked in a cheerful mood before beginning the practice session.<\/p>\n Team India physio Kamlesh and throwdown specialist Nuwan Seneviratne accompanied the 24-year-old cricketer for the Thursday morning session. The opening batsman batted for around an hour in the Narendra Modi Stadium\u2019s nets.<\/p>\n Gill also faced throwdowns from some net bowlers and did not seem to be in any sort of physical discomfort. Gill, who represents Ahmedabad-based Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), also took some catches to improve his fielding skills towards the end of his practice session.<\/p>\n The opening batsman will have another full-fledged session on Friday, this time with the entire team, on the eve of the Pakistan game. If he fares well and the medical team gives the go-ahead, there is no reason to believe Gill can\u2019t make his World Cup debut on Saturday.<\/p>\nRecommended<\/h3>\n
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