Team India will take on Afghanistan in today’s match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The situation with Shubman Gill’s health appears to be becoming more serious for Men in Blue by the hour. The star opener was released from hospital in Chennai on Monday evening after recovering from a bout of dengue fever, which was a positive update for his captain Rohit Sharma. But Gill featuring in the playing XI still remains a doubt for the blockbuster World Cup match against Pakistan at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14 (Saturday).

The latest development of the young batter, however, is a big setback, with rumors saying that Gill’s World Cup participation is now in doubt, with selectors poised to make a decision on his replacement. The 24-year-old opener entered the 2023 World Cup as India’s most in-form batter, having amassed 1230 runs, the highest by any player in the format this year, at an average of 72.35 with five centuries and as many fifties.

Gill is hopeful that he will recover from the viral infection this week, but dengue fever may keep the body debilitated even after a negative test result. As a result, he is effectively out of the match against Pakistan. The BCCI selectors may decide whether a substitute for Gill should be placed on standby.

As a back-up opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was chosen as an opener during the Australia series and also struck a half-century in Mohali, will be the first pick, followed by left-handed batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal. Both performed admirably in the recently finished Asian Games tournament, in which India won gold.