When Rohit Sharma stated that Shubman Gill was “99 percent” ready to play a day before the game against Pakistan after having suffered from dengue, he was in fact 100 percent fit. The team management had concerns about the possibility of things going wrong or a relapse of fever on the day of the game. Hence, the skipper had left a small room for a potential last-minute change. The final decision was made at the ground on Saturday, just before the match. Cricbuzz has learned that the team management was cautiously optimistic about his availability.
The primary concern with Gill was whether he could endure 100 overs in the field. The second point of worry was the fact that he had only two days of preparation, specifically Thursday and Friday, before the game on Saturday. Nevertheless, the management felt that he was performing well in the nets. The final decision was still postponed until the last possible moment.
The team management is happy with the way he was treated at the Kauvery Hospital in Chennai, where he spent a night before his room was converted into a temporary dispensary with a nurse in constant attendance. He received a nutritious diet, particularly papaya for energy conservation and strength. Dr. Sivarama Kannan, the physician responsible for Gill’s speedy recovery and return to the field, treated him.
“A young person, an athlete, usually recovers well. He was fully cooperative and attentive. He obliged to whatever we said,” the doctor said of the young Indian opener. “He came on the evening of the India-Australia match (October 8) and went back to the hotel the next evening. We had our male nurse, one person stationed there to give him timely injections and IV fluids.”
Explaining the treatment process of Gill, the doctor said, “He came to us on the second day of his illness… We didn’t allow his body temperature to rise. We continuously administered medication to ensure that the fever didn’t escalate, and we maintained his hydration to prevent the disease from taking hold.
“When the platelet count dropped below 50,000-60,000, we decided to admit him to the hospital. This was during India’s match against Australia. The next morning, his platelet count dropped further, but by Monday evening, it began to increase, so we shifted him back to the hotel.”
The platelet count went up and surpassed 100,000, which is when Dr. Kannan, who incidentally also treats N Srinivasan, the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), discharged him. “The following day, Tuesday, October 10, his platelet count increased, and it continued to rise on the subsequent day. By Wednesday morning, I informed him that he was fit to travel as his count had gone beyond one lakh. That afternoon, he left for Ahmedabad.”
Gill scored only 16 runs from 11 balls, all of which came from boundaries, before getting out to an ambitious shot. However, the positive aspect was that he fielded for the entire duration of Pakistan’s innings, which lasted for 42.5 overs, without showing any discomfort. Most importantly, he demonstrated the determination to take the field, and that can only be good news for the Indian team.