Pakistan’s arch-rivals India have been hit by a major injury blow ahead of their crucial World Cup match on October 14, as their opening batsman Shubman Gill has been diagnosed with dengue and admitted to a hospital in Chennai.

According to reports, Gill had been feeling unwell since the team’s arrival in Chennai for the warm-up matches and was tested positive for dengue on Friday.

Gill has already missed India’s opening World Cup match against Australia on October 8, which the hosts lost by six wickets. He is also expected to sit out the next game against Afghanistan on October 11.

Sources indicate that Gill is not expected to fully recover before the high-voltage clash against Pakistan, which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket venue.

Vikrant Gupta, Indian sports journalist, has also corroborated these reports concerning the batsman.

“Don’t see Shubman Gill playing the Pakistan game,” he said on X (formerly Twitter).

“The young man needs to recover and stay healthy. It’s a long World Cup, he will sure come into play when the team needs him the most.”

https://twitter.com/vikrantgupta73/status/1711605452415655981

Pakistan, on the other hand, will be hoping to exploit India’s vulnerability and break their jinx of never winning a 50-over World Cup match against them. Pakistan have a formidable pace attack led by Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and and Hasan Ali, who can trouble the Indian batsmen with their pace and swing.