In a massive blow for India, star batter Shubman Gill will miss teams’ ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Gill has been battling an illness and was sidelined from India’s opening game of the tournament against Australia in Chennai on Sunday.

In his absence, left-handed wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan opened the batting for India but he couldn’t do much and was dismissed for a duck.

According to the BCCI media release, the right-hander will remain in Chennai and not travel to Delhi for the hosts’ next match of the World Cup.

“Team India batter Shubman Gill will not be travelling with the team to Delhi on 9th October 2023,” the BCCI said in a statement on Monday.

“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,”. it added.

Notably, Gill has been one of India’s best performing ODI players in recent times and has risen the ODI Batter Rankings and is now in second place only behind Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. Gill, who is the leading run-getter in 50-over format this year with 1230 runs at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03, has hit two centuries and a half-century in his last four ODIs.

In Gill’s absence, it remains likely that Ishan will receive another chance to open the innings with captain Rohit Sharma in the national capital.

After facing Afghanistan on October 11 in Delhi, India will then travel to Ahmedabad for the mega clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 14.