Shubman Gill reveals Rohit Sharma’s instruction after being named vice-captain of the ODI team. He mentioned talking to the bowlers during the match and kept reminding them about the bowling plans.
Shubman Gill was recently named the vice-captain of the ODI team. The 25-year-old has been stunning in ODI cricket and the team management and the selectors wanted to see the cricketer in a leadership role. With that, Gill was promoted as he replaced Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain of the ODI team. That however didn’t impact his batting performance, as the cricketer smacked a terrific century in India’s opening game of the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh.
Ahead of the marquee clash against Pakistan, the Punjab-born cricketer mentioned what Rohit told him after being named the vice-captain. He stated that the captain had given him the freedom to talk to the bowlers during the match. Gill also explained that in high-pressure situations, players may lose focus, and his role is to remind them of the pre-planned bowling strategy.
“Whenever I am on the field, whenever we are out there, I try and talk to the bowlers. It’s not easy for them in this heat to think right. Rohit bhai has given me the responsibility to talk to the bowlers whenever I am standing in mid-on and mid-off. I want to make sure the bowling plans are followed and I try to keep talking to the bowlers,” said Gill in the press conference.
“While batting, I don’t think about the responsibility. Whenever I am batting, I want to think as a batter and do the best for my team,” the youngster added talking about his leadership role while batting.
Gill also noted that the match against Pakistan holds massive importance but reminded that the most important game for them will be the final. India started well in the tournament, beating Bangladesh in the opening game and a win against Pakistan will seal their spot in the semis.
“Not for me to say whether India-Pakistan contest is under-hyped or over-hyped. There is a long history of India-Pakistan cricket. It is a very exciting contest but it doesn’t change anything for us. It is an important but the most important match will be the final,” he said.