ODI World Cup 2023: Shubman Gill sweats it out in nets ahead of India-Pakistan game

India's batting sensation Shubman Gill was seen sweating it hard in the nets ahead of the match against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The eagerly anticipated clash will be contested at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14.

Team India have ticked all the boxes so far in the tournament, winning the first two games against Australia and Afghanistan, respectively. The major blow they faced was the absence of Gill, who was diagnosed with Dengue, a few days before the World Cup. Notably, he was even admitted to the hospital before the game versus Afghanistan.

He joined his teammates in Ahmedabad, practised for an hour on Thursday (October 12), and appeared to be in good shape. The right-handed batter's availability for the match against Pakistan was still up in the air, though. However, he showed up for the final practice on Friday and was seen working hard in the nets.

 See the video:

pic.twitter.com/HeaXLSpfUQ

— Sitaraman (@Sitaraman112971) October 13, 2023

In the video, Shubman Gill appears confident while practising his batting in the nets against a left-arm bowler. It implies that he is preparing to take on Pakistan's star left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Gill is an integral part of the Men in Blue in the ongoing World Cup. The 24-year-old has been outstanding so far this year, scoring 1,230 runs at an average of 72.35 in just 20 one-day internationals. Additionally, he was crucial in India's successful Asia Cup campaign this year having finished as the top scorer of the tournament.

In six games, the top-order batter scored 302 runs at an average of 75.50 and a strike rate of 93.49, including a century against Bangladesh in the last Super Four stage match, as well as two fifty-plus scores. He's anticipated to take the field for India against Pakistan. This will be India and Pakistan’s eighth meeting in a 50-over World Cup, with India holding a 7-0 head-to-head advantage.