Gill has been under the weather in the last few days, suffering from fever. It was reported earlier today that he has tested positive for dengue and is all but ruled out of India’s opening clash of the World Cup against Australia on October 8.

However, in a press conference today (October 6), Dravid said that Gill has not yet been officially ruled out of the match in Chennai. He said that Gill has been feeling better and that the medical team would be monitoring him with a call on his availability to be taken on the match day.

“He’s certainly feeling better today. The medical team is monitoring on daily basis. We have 36 hours, we’ll see what decision they take. He’s certainly feeling better today. Medical team hasn’t ruled him out as yet. We’ll keep monitoring him on a day to day basis. We’ll see how he feels day after tomorrow,” said Dravid.

Gill’s absence would be a major blow for India. He has been India’s highest run-scorer in ODIs this year, having scored more than 1,200 runs at an average above 70 with as many as five centuries.

In the recently concluded ODI series against Australia, Gill scored 178 runs from two innings, including a 64-ball 74 in the first ODI in Mohali and a 97-ball 104 in Indore.

In case Gill misses out, India will most likely opt for Ishan Kishan to replace him at the top of the order. Kishan is the one of the backup batters in the squad along with Suryakumar Yadav. However, between the two, only Kishan has opening experience in ODIs.