India's captain Rohit Sharma expressed confidence in Shubman Gill's form ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Speaking on Wednesday, Rohit hoped the "classy" batter would carry his blazing form from the recent 3-0 ODI sweep against England into the tournament.
India to begin their campaign against Bangladesh at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, followed by a high-stakes clash with arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday.
Gill, who was named Player of the Series against England with 259 runs, including a century and two half-centuries, has returned to form after a lean Test series in Australia. Rohit praised his vice-captain, stating, "Gill is a very classy player, there was never a doubt about his ability in this squad."
Rohit further added, "We tend to mix formats and I don’t think that’s the right way to judge any player. With Gill, we know the numbers are crazy, he has been superb for us in the last three to four years."
Commenting on Gill’s rise to vice-captaincy, Rohit said, “Obviously there is a reason that he has been elevated to be the vice-captain of the team as well, hopefully, he has a great tournament and it eventually will help us achieve the things that we are looking to achieve.”
Rohit also highlighted the importance of India’s top-order, which includes him, Gill, and Virat Kohli. Despite struggling in the Test series in Australia, both Rohit and Kohli returned to form in the ODIs against England.
"The key to have success in this format, your top three-four-five batsmen need to get that big score for you to post a big score eventually," Rohit said.
Rohit also praised the return of pace bowler Mohammed Shami, who played a crucial role in the recent England series after a lengthy absence due to injury.
“All we wanted with Shami was to get back wearing the Indian colours more than anything else,” said Rohit. “Whether he gets wickets or not, that was completely immaterial for us at that point.”
Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav also made a successful return after a hernia surgery. Rohit acknowledged Kuldeep’s confidence, noting, "The two games that he played, the numbers will not show and with certain players you don’t have to look at numbers so much."
With all their matches scheduled in Dubai, Rohit emphasized the importance of quickly assessing the pitch conditions to succeed in the tournament.
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