Captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Shubman Gill and others are seen during a practice session ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai on March 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI
On the eve of the Champions Trophy final, India vice-captain Shubhman Gill believes the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph could herald a new era of success for the team. The second T20 crown ended an 11-year drought for an ICC world title for the Men in Blue.
Sunday’s summit clash will be India’s third straight appearance in an ICC white-ball tournament final, having finished 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,” said Gill when asked if last year’s achievement helps lessen 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 also stressed the importance of taking pressure out of the equation in big 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 reduced the pressure 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 explained.
Published – March 08, 2025 07:59 pm IST
