Shubman Gill battled cramps in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai.
Opening the innings, Gill was batting on 79 off 65 balls before he picked up cramps and pulled his hamstring. He went off the field and returned only in the last over of India’s innings to finish with 80 not out off 66 balls.
After the game, Gill attributed the issues to the humid conditions and the after-effects of recovering from dengue.
Notably, the right-hander missed the first couple of games of the showpiece tournament due to dengue fever.
"It started with cramps and then I pulled my hamstring a little bit, and I think these are just the after-effects of Dengue," Gill said in the post-match press conference.
The 24-year-old also revealed that the recovery process from dengue resulted in a loss of muscle mass.
"I have honestly not really adjusted anything in terms of my batting, but because I have lost a bit of muscle mass, I think the reserve that I used to have before the dengue has decreased a little bit and that's why generally I don't really get cramps when, like you do get cramps when you're playing in humid conditions. But for me it happens after a long period of time, not so soon. But because I think I've lost a bit of muscle mass; the reserve has gone down a bit," he explained.
Coming to the first semi-final, India outplayed New Zealand in all facets of the game to register a comprehensive 70-run victory.
Opting to bat first, the hosts racked up a mammoth 397/4 on the board, courtesy of centuries from Virat Kohli (117 off 113) and Shreyas Iyer (105 off 70). Shubman Gill (80* off 66) and Rohit Sharma (47 off 29) set the tone with a 71-run opening stand.
In reply, Daryl Mitchell slammed a brilliant century but it went in vain as the Kiwi innings folded for 327 in 48.5 overs. Mohammad Shami starred with the ball for India, returning with a seven-wicket haul (7/57) in his 9.5 overs.
(With ANI Inputs)