Team India has received a big boost ahead of high-octane IND vs PAK World Cup clash on Saturday, October 14 at Narendra Modi Stadium. Indian openers Shubman Gill has recovered from Dengue and is most likely to feature in playing XI for the big game. Team India skipper Rohit Sharma said that there is “99 per cent chance” of Gill playing against Pakistan. Ishan Kishan is likely to make way for the star Indian opener.
Gill was seen batting in nets for an hour alongside Rohit and Virat Kohli and looked comfortable while doing fielding drills. The opener faced Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami in nets and took timely drink breaks to stay hydrated. While Gill looked a little out of touch at the start, he soon picked the rhythm and looked comfortable facing both the bowlers.
However, Rohit Sharma said that the final decision on the young Indian opener will be taken just before the game.
“99 per cent he (Gill) will play. We’ll see tomorrow (Saturday) about that,” Rohit said at the pre-match press conference.
Notably, Gill missed the first two matches of the World Cup against Australia and Afghanistan after being diagnosed with dengue. However, he travelled to Ahmedabad with the team took part in a batting practice session on Thursday.
Gill’s love-affair with Ahmedabad Stadium
Shubman Gill will be eager to play in the blockbuster clash as he loves playing at Narendra Modi Stadium. The 23-year-old averages 93 at the venue and has scored two centuries in both T20Is and Tests at the ground.
Gill has been in remarkable form this year, scoring 1,230 runs in 20 ODIs at an average of 72.35. He has scored five centuries and five fifties this year, with the best of 208.
Squads:
Team 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.
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