Big blow to Team India! BCCI confirms star player to miss ODI World Cup match against Afghanistan

Team India has commenced its World Cup 2023 operations on a positive note. The Men in Blue secured a comprehensive win over long-term rivals Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, and thereby opened the account on the points table. While the triumph over the Aussies comes as a major step forward in the quest to end the ICC trophy drought, there is a huge setback as well that the team has endured in the build-up to the match and it is likely to follow at least till India's next match.

3 things you need to know

• India got off to a winning start in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023
• Team India beat Australia by 6 wickets 
• India will next face Afghanistan in the round-robin format of World Cup 2023

ODI WC: Shubman Gill to miss out IND vs AFG clash

After getting rid of the mighty Australians, Team India will next take on the Asian giant killers, Afghanistan, on October 11, 2023, in Delhi. The odds will be in India's favor but according to a new development, the squad will once again miss the services of Shubman Gill. Before the match against Australia, Gill went down with dengue, and BCCI confirmed that he is still recuperating from the infection, and will not feature in the IND vs AFG match.

(Shubman Gill during IND vs AUS series / Image: AP)

“Team India batter Shubman Gill will not be travelling with the team to Delhi on 9th October 2023. The opening batter who missed the team’s first fixture in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 against Australia in Chennai is set to miss the team’s next fixture against Afghanistan in Delhi on the 11th of October. He will stay back in Chennai and will be under the supervision of the medical team,” BCCI said in a statement on Monday.

IND vs AFG: Who will be the likely replacement?

Shubman Gill has been in prolific form throughout the season and has scored more than 1,000 runs in the calendar year so far. Thus, he being out of the squad is unfortunate. However, there are capable men on the bench, who could create an instant impact. In the absence of Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan was presented with the opportunity to open the innings along with captain Rohit Sharma against Australia. But the left-hander perished without contributing anything to the board. Subsequently, it would be intriguing to witness who will take up the position if Shubman Gill is not deemed fit.