Shubman Gill remains doubtful for India's World Cup opener against Australia

In India's plans for their World Cup opener against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday is the unwell Shubman Gill.

Gill, who has been in appalling form this year, is reportedly suffering from suspected dengue and has skipped Team India's training sessions since arriving in the city earlier in the week.

Gill was reportedly the only Indian cricketer visible wearing a mask at the airport following India's arrival, according to sources.

Rahul Dravid, the head coach, is however optimistic that Gill will be available for India's test against Australia. He (Shubman) is undoubtedly feeling better today (Friday) than he did the day before (Thursday). So that's good, but our medical staff is keeping an eye on his condition daily," Dravid said on Friday.

"Since we still have some time, we'll see how it goes. We'll have to wait and see what the medical staff decides. However, he is unquestionably feeling a little bit better than he was on Thursday.

Dravid was directly asked if Gill had officially been disqualified from Sunday's marquee match.

"The medical staff hasn't completely ruled him out. But we'll be keeping an eye on things every day. We only have a few hours left, so we'll probably decide if we can at the last minute. The head coach remarked, "We'll see how he feels the day after tomorrow (Sunday).

Ishan Kishan might open alongside skipper Rohit Sharma if Gill is not match-fit for Sunday. In the first phase of Friday's Chepauk nets, Kishan batted with Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli for a considerable amount of time.

The left-hander has been on the receiving end of runs like his previous batters, and crucially, has recently kept up a strong strike rate. On Friday, however, he didn't appear to be very steady at the nets while facing players like Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.

He was defeated very often, and some of his throwdown shots didn't look all that convincing either. Even though the Chepauk pitch is anticipated to be a slow mover, the club management may speak with Kishan briefly.

Stewart bats

During their afternoon practice, Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, whose hamstring issue left him questionable for Sunday's game, batted at the nets. Andy Flower, who has returned as the team's batting coordinator for this World Cup, kept a close eye on Stoinis while he batted.