Gill '99% available' for India vs Pakistan game

Shubman Gill is "99% available" for the India vs Pakistan World Cup fixture in Ahmedabad on Saturday, Rohit Sharma said in a press interaction on the eve of the game. Gill arrived in Ahmedabad before the rest of the team, and batted in the nets on Thursday itself in a bid to be ready for the game.

If Gill does make the India XI, it will help India get back to their first-choice XI, something they have not been able to do at the World Cup, with Gill going down with a bout of dengue and being forced to miss the games against Australia and Afghanistan, both of which India won.

Gill did not travel with the team to Delhi for their second fixture against Afghanistan on Wednesday. He was taken to a hospital in Chennai - where India played their first game, against Australia - for treatment but was subsequently discharged after his health improved.

In his absence, Ishan Kishan opened the innings against Australia alongside Rohit. Though India were reduced to 2 for 3 in a chase of 200 - Kishan, Rohit and Shreyas Iyer were dismissed for ducks - they recovered to chase down the target with six wickets in hand and 52 balls to spare. India had the same opening pair against Afghanistan too, and there was a marked improvement in their performance: Rohit scored 131 in 84 balls and Kishan a run-a-ball 47. India won by eight wickets.

Gill is the leading run-getter worldwide in ODIs this year with 1230 runs at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03. In his last four ODIs, he has hit two centuries and a half-century.