On the eve of the Champions Trophy ultimate, India vice-captain Shubhman Gill believes the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph might herald a brand new period of success for the crew. The second T20 crown ended an 11-year drought for an ICC world title for the Men in Blue.
Sunday’s summit conflict will probably be India’s third straight look in an ICC white-ball match ultimate, having completed runner-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
“Yes, definitely. Once you get one title, it gives you the momentum. Also, you are not very desperate about getting the title,” mentioned Gill when requested if final 12 months’s achievement helps reduce the burden of expectations.
“It’s not good when desperation kicks in. It’s hard to put the occasion out of the equation. In all these big matches, the players or teams that can put aside the pressure have a better chance of winning.”
“Winning the title in 2024 doesn’t mean that we are less hungry, but I think it gives us more balance now that we have won a title and we will try our best to win this one,” he added.
Gill additionally pressured the significance of taking stress out of the equation in massive matches.
“The team that takes the pressure out of the equation has a better chance of winning. This is why we talk about big teams of previous years, including West Indies and Australia. Those teams played their best cricket in knockouts and used to take out the pressure from the big-match equation. Easier said than done, but good teams play their best cricket under pressure.”
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old opener hailed the squad’s batting depth and felt it had diminished the stress on the top-order.
“I think this is the best batting line-up I have been part of. Rohit bhai is one of the best openers in white-ball cricket and Virat is one of the best ODI batsmen ever. The depth in our batting makes the work easier for batsmen at the top and you tend to play freely,” Gill defined.
Published – March 08, 2025 07:59 pm IST
