Shubman Gill, the recently chosen ODI skipper, has given his opinions on the roles of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Gill, who was selected India’s new ODI captain for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia, has already made an impression in Test cricket, and all eyes are now on his leadership in the 50-over format as the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup approaches.
Gill discussed Rohit and Virat Kohli contributions to the ODI squad as India prepares for the premier tournament.
Both stalwarts are ready to return to international action for the first time since India won the ICC Champions Trophy in March this year. The duo had been in excellent form during India’s previous World Cup campaign, which culminated with the team finishing second place.
“Absolutely. The experience the two of them have (is immense), and there are very few players who can match the number of matches they have won for India. There are very few players in the world with such skill and quality along with that experience, and we look at it from that perspective,” said Gill as quoted by ICC.
Kohli finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer in the 2023 World Cup, amassing 765 runs in 11 innings at an impressive average of 95.62. Rohit followed closely, scoring 597 runs at a strike rate of 125.95. Taking over the captaincy from Rohit, Gill believes he has inherited key qualities from the veteran, which are likely to serve him well in his new leadership role.
“So many qualities that I have inherited from Rohit bhai – the calmness that he possesses, and the kind of friendship that he has among the group is something that I aspire to, these are the qualities that I want to take from him,” said Gill.
Named India’s Test captain earlier this summer, Gill made a strong impression in England, finishing as the leading run-scorer in a memorable five-Test series that ended in a 2-2 draw. Now entrusted with the ODI captaincy, Gill acknowledged the immense challenges that lie ahead. Under his leadership, India will begin their tour of Australia with the first of three ODIs on October 19 in Perth.
“[The ODI captaincy] is obviously a big responsibility and an even bigger honour, so I’m very excited to lead my country in that format, and yes, the last few months have been very exciting for me, but I’m really looking forward to what the future has,” Gill said.
“I want to stay [in the] present as [much as] possible and don’t really want to look back on what I’ve been able to achieve or what we, as a team, have been able to achieve. Just want to look forward and win everything that we have in the upcoming months,” he added.
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