Virat and Rahul each put on outstanding performances as the Indian team defeated archrival Australia. In a challenging encounter in Chennai to get off to a great start in their ODI World Cup 2023 campaign.
Notably, the Indian squad won despite not having star opener Shubman Gill in the lineup. Prior to the match against Australia, the 24-year-old developed dengue illness; he will also miss India’s forthcoming match against Afghanistan.
Sanjay Manjrekar talks on Shubman Gill’s unavailability
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar remarked that Gill’s exclusion from the opening rounds of the World Cup is really sad. He believed that was detrimental to him personally because the Indian squad would still be formidable without his participation.
“Disappointing for him personally more than the team because the team has enough options to continue to be strong. And we saw that in the first game as well. The team is strong and good enough to beat all the oppositions despite Shubman Gill not being there”. Manjrekar said in a discussion on Star Sports.
“Having said that, Shubman Gill just makes the team even stronger and the kind of form that he has been in, you want to cash in. This is the worst possible time that you want to miss matches and it’s been beyond his control,” Manjrekar added.
Additionally, Manjrekar expressed his opinion that Gil is a character that viewers will regret seeing since he is so entertaining. “However, I will note that his fans—both those who attend games in person and those who watch on television—will miss him since he is so entertaining to watch. It’s entertaining to watch since he runs so well. This will be lost, but I don’t think India will be in too much danger,” he said.
India’s next match is on 14th October against Afghanistan.
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