CHENNAI: India's ace opening batsman Shubman Gill is down with illness and is doubtful for India's World Cup opener against Australia to be played at Chepauk on Sunday. On Friday morning, it was learnt that India's star opener Shubman Gill was unwell.
Team India's chief coach Rahul Dravid revealed later that Gill was feeling better, but did not confirm about the player's availability. He insisted that the team would take a call on the player on the eve of the game. "He's (Gill) certainly feeling better today. The medical team is monitoring on a day-to-day basis. so we will see We have 36 hours to go we'll see what decision they take. He's certainly feeling a little better today,'' said Dravid ."
When pressed further to comment on Gill's availability, Dravid stated the medical team hasn't ruled him (Gill) out as yet. We'll keep monitoring him on a day-to-day basis. We'll see how he feels day after tomorrow.''
Gill has been one of the top performers for India in the fifty-over format this year. Gill was also the top run-getter in the previous month's Asia Cup, amassing 302 runs in six innings. He smashed a century and two fifties in the tournament.
In case Gill remains unavailable for the clash on Sunday, Ishan Kishan could be promoted to the top order with the youngster opening the Indian innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. The World Cup began with a bang with New Zealand defeating England by nine wickets. The Kiwis chased down 282 in a matter of just 36.2 overs With Devon Conway and Rachin Ravendra notching up unbeaten centuries each.
With Chepauk wickets to a batters paradise and many wickets in the country batter-friendly, many wonder what would be a safe total. ''One run more than the opposite team. I think it will be safe: laughs. It is hard to predict each condition, I think that's going to be the beauty of this World Cup. I think with so many venues that these matches are going to be played in, so many different wickets on those venues and to be honest each of the soil, some of them even in India some are black soil, red soil and mixed soil, I think each of it has its safety and its safe total. We have to adapt and act based on the conditions, sizes ( at the grounds) will be different, I think each venue will be different and we have to look at it,'' explained Dravid.
''We'll probably play on a relatively bigger ground here in Chennai compared to say when we go to Bengaluru or when we go to Delhi. Each venue will be different, we'll just have to assess and see,'' he added. Dravid insisted that he allows the team and the captain Rohit Sharma to evolve and move forward on their own.
"Honestly once the game starts, it's the captain's team. It's the team that needs to take it forward, they need to execute it, they need to do the job," said Dravid. "As a coach I see my work in the lead up to the games, in the lead up to this World Cup, trying to get the squad we got eventually. Building up the team, building up the squad and then hoping to allow the players to play and express themselves to have fun," he added. Dravid got to watch a bit of the New Zealand and England game and praised the Kiwis.
"Yeah, bits and pieces of it. I thought both of them (Ravindra and Devon Conway) played really well. Obviously, they got New Zealand off to a really flying start in the tournament and looked like the wicket really became a good one as the game went on,'' said Dravid, hoping his team too can come off with flying colours on Sunday.
