Big blow for India ahead of World Cup opener as Shubman Gill down with dengue

Chennai: In a big blow for the hosts ahead of its campaign in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup, star India batter Shubman Gill is unwell and suffering from dengue fever, according to sources.

He is likely to miss India's World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai on Sunday, sources informed.

If Gill sits out the first match, as appears likely, it would deal a telling blow to India's chances of opening their World Cup campaign with a win. The lanky opener had hit a purple patch in recent 50-over internationals that he played for the country and his absence could seriously impact the hosts' prospects against the mighty Aussies in their World Cup opener.

In 20 ODIs this year, he has scored 1,230 runs at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of just above 105. He has scored five centuries and five fifties this year, with the best of 208.

Notably, the ICC Cricket World Cup kicked off on Thursday, with New Zealand thrashing defending champions England by nine wickets in Ahmedabad.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.