I don't see India in trouble too much – Sanjay Manjrekar on Shubman Gill’s absence

Shubman Gill missed India’s World Cup 2023 opening clash and will also miss the match against Afghanistan due to illness, but former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar feels the squad has ample depth to make up for the youngster’s absence. 

There’s no doubt that Gill’s absence at the top of the order has created a huge void, given his red-hot run of form in 2023 and amplified by the Indian top order’s no-show against Australia. 

However, there’s no timeline to confirm Gill’s availability and there’s widespread conversation on the topic of him potentially missing the massive clash against Pakistan as well. 

Manjrekar, though, made an overall assessment of the entire situation and weighed in on how Indian cricket fans will be distraught with Gill’s absence, but that shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Talking to Star Sports, Manjrekar said, “Disappointing for him personally more than the team because the team has enough options to continue to be strong, and we saw that in the first game as well. The team is strong and good enough to beat all the opposition despite Shubman Gill not being there. Having said that, Shubman Gill just makes the team even more stronger and the kind of form that he has been in, you want to cash in. This is the worst possible time that you want to miss matches and it's been beyond his control.”

He also shed some light on the composition of the Indian cricket team without Gill, adding, “What I will say though is that the fans, people who come to the ground and the people who watch on TV, will miss him because this guy is extremely watchable. He gets runs beautifully, so it's fun to watch. So that aspect will be lost but I don't see India in trouble too much.”

India will take on Afghanistan in the Men in Blue’s second match of the World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. In Gill’s absence, Ishan Kishan was slotted in as the opener alongside Rohit Sharma as the opener, and having both scored ducks in the previous game, the opening pair will want to bounce back into form against Afghanistan on what seems to appear as a batting paradise.