"Shubman Gill’s ODI Numbers Are Crazy" – Rohit Sharma Backs Young Vice-Captain Ahead of Champions Trophy Opener
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Rohit dismissed doubts about Gill’s leadership role, stating, “Gill is a very classy player. We tend to mix formats, which I think is unfair. His numbers in ODIs are crazy, and we have no doubt about his ability. Hopefully, he has a great tournament, which will help us as a team.”
Gill has already established himself as a modern-day ODI great, becoming the fastest batter to 2,500 runs in just 50 innings, surpassing South Africa’s Hashim Amla. His ODI stats include:
However, his Test and T20I numbers are yet to reach similar heights, with an average of 35.05 in Tests and 30.42 in T20Is.
India has opted for a spin-dominated attack, with five frontline spinners included in the squad. Rohit explained that the emphasis was on players who could contribute with both bat and ball.
“We have two specialist spinners (Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy), while Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar add all-round depth. These three guys bring different dimensions to the game, which is why we stuck with our strengths,” he said.
India’s training sessions included facing two quality net bowlers of Pakistan and Afghanistan origin, who tested their batters with pace and spin.
“They were really good, quality bowlers. I had a chat with them after the nets,” Rohit revealed.
India will be missing the services of their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is recovering from a lower back injury. Harshit Rana has been brought in as a replacement, while Varun Chakravarthy also earned a late call-up after impressive performances in the home T20I series against England.
Additionally, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was initially included in the squad but later moved to non-traveling reserves after a poor ODI debut against England.
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.
Non-traveling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Shivam Dube.
With Rohit Sharma backing his squad and highlighting Gill’s credentials, India will look to begin their Champions Trophy campaign with a win against Bangladesh in Dubai.
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