India vice captain Shubman Gill said that the T20 World Cup 2024 victory broke the knockout jinx of the team, and they are now they're hungry to add more titles to their cabinet. India are set to lock horns in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand on Sunday, March 9 in Dubai.
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00:00Alright, guys we have with us our vice-captain Mr. Shubhman Gill, as usual we'll take one question at a time. Who wants to go first?
00:13Hi Shubhman, all the best for the final. Shubhman, how excited are you about this final?
00:18You played a final in 2023 and in 2025 you are playing a final in a big ICC tournament.
00:23From there, what is your journey and your emotions for the final match?
00:26Sir, I am very excited. This is my second ICC event for Team India and second final.
00:35So definitely a lot of excitement and I think the last time we couldn't do it, this time we will try to do it.
00:45Shubhman, it is said that this is another match and we want to play like this.
00:51But everyone knows that it is a final. But what is your experience, whether it is an ICC tournament or an IPL final,
00:59where there is a big stage and big expectations, so how can you control that and play your game?
01:06What procedure do you keep in mind for that?
01:09Sir, I think the pressure of a big match is definitely there.
01:13But as we saw in the last match, if we talk purely about Australia's bowling attack,
01:22they didn't have much experience in bowling attack.
01:24But because it was a big match, a pressure match, so in such matches, the team that handles the pressure well,
01:31which takes out the occasion and doesn't think that we are playing a final, their chances of winning are better.
01:38So I think this was the reason that we talk about good teams, like the West Indies team or the Australian team.
01:46Those teams take out the occasion, just like they play their best game in knockouts or finals.
01:53Because I think they take out the occasion and remove the pressure from themselves.
01:58It is very easy to say that, as you said, it is very easy to say that we will not play thinking that it is a final.
02:05But whenever there is a little pressure, it comes to the mind of the person.
02:10Because so much depends on one match.
02:12But I think good teams are those who take it out and play their normal game.
02:18Does experience help?
02:20Yes, a lot of experience helps.
02:22Like we saw Virat in the last match, because he has played so many important matches for India,
02:27played so many finals, played so many semifinals.
02:30And the more you are in that situation and the more times you have handled that pressure,
02:37then you know that I have already done this.
02:39So you know the pattern of the big game.
02:42So the experience player definitely helps there.
02:45Shoman, in the top three, you, Rohit, Virat, then in the middle order, Shreyas, Kehel, Hardik, then Jaddu.
02:53This kind of batting lineup, have you ever seen best batting lineup in India?
02:56Or you have been part of better batting lineup?
02:59Sir, I think this is the best batting lineup that I have been part of, personally.
03:04Rohit bhai and Virat bhai, I think all time one day greats in the world.
03:11Rohit bhai, one of the best openers in white ball.
03:15And there is no need to talk about Virat bhai, one of the best ODI batsmen ever.
03:20So, to bat in between them, and we have Shreyas in such a good form,
03:27Kehel bhai, Hardik bhai, Jaddu bhai, so I think the depth in our batting,
03:31that makes the work of the upper batsmen a little easier.
03:36We can play a little more freely from above because we have so much depth.
03:40And I think this is one thing in which we used to struggle a little earlier,
03:44there was not much depth in batting, so there was a little more pressure on the upper batsmen to score long.
03:49But I think the depth in our batting allows us to play a little more freely from above.
03:56Shubman, I would like to know about your experience as a vice-captain.
04:02In Sri Lanka, for the first time, you were named the vice-captain.
04:05After that, now you are with the team as a vice-captain in the ICC,
04:09even addressing an important pre-match press conference before the final.
04:13So as a vice-captain, how much have you learnt from Rohit and other senior players?
04:18Tell us a little about your journey as a vice-captain.
04:21Sir, you get to learn a lot.
04:23When you are with the team as a player, obviously you have a responsibility as a batsman, as a fielder.
04:31But when an added responsibility is given to you, it's very important for me to know how the other players are feeling on the field,
04:39if they are thinking the right way.
04:40We have a lot of young players in the team.
04:42As I was talking about experienced players and young players,
04:46because experienced players have done the same thing so many times, they have made mistakes too.
04:51So this is my role at that time,
04:55if there is a young fast bowler or a young spinner in our team,
04:58when there is pressure on them, whether they are thinking the right way or not.
05:01You can be successful or fail in thinking the right way,
05:05but the probability of you being successful increases if you are thinking the right way.
05:09So that is my role in the team.
05:12Whenever the bowlers are under pressure, I have to talk to them, ask their plans.
05:16Sometimes we forget to do simple things under pressure,
05:20so I have to remind them that this is our plan, we will try to do this.
05:24I think that is my role.
05:25A repeat match, this time for a title.
05:29So how much discussions have gone into each of these factors?
05:33And what are the factors which is looked into?
05:36Sorry sir?
05:37A repeat match, this time for a title.
05:41So what are the factors looked into, especially in areas which have to be strengthened?
05:49I think the last time we played them, despite having lost three wickets early in the power play,
05:56we played a good match and I think we won comfortably.
06:00So I don't think there is any added discussion.
06:03Obviously, we can talk about someone from the top three firing,
06:06that would give us a better chance to chase a big total or put up a big total if you are betting first.
06:14So apart from that, I don't think there is any added discussion.
06:18Obviously, the kind of wicket that we will play on would be the discussion.
06:23The wickets that we are playing on here are a bit different than the wickets that are there in Pakistan.
06:30But because I think we have played here four matches and we have done decently well,
06:37so there is no added discussion, I think.
06:39There has always been a lot of talk about the fact that Roy in recent times has lost the toss.
06:45And irrespective of how the toss goes, does that make any impact on your mindset when you go out to bat?
06:51Not really, because as a batsman you are always prepared to bat first.
06:57And if you are getting to bat second, that means you are chasing a total.
07:02So it doesn't really matter, because if you are a bowler, you are always prepared to bowl first.
07:07If you are a batsman, you are always prepared to bat first.
07:09So there is, I mean, we do talk about it, but in a very light way, you know,
07:14that you have lost so many tosses, but that doesn't matter.
07:18Shubman, for 11 years, between 13 and 24, we are talking about how India reached the semifinal,
07:23reached the final, but did not win the title.
07:25The fact that we won in the West Indies last year, does that sort of free up that pressure in any way?
07:32Yes, definitely. I think it's also about the, you know, sometimes once you get one title,
07:39then I think that kind of breaks the jinx and then it gives you the momentum.
07:43And also you are not very desperate about, you know, getting the title.
07:47And it's not good when desperation kicks in.
07:51Then, you know, it's hard to put the occasion out of the equation.
07:55In all these big matches, like I said, the players or the teams that can put aside the pressure
08:01and the occasion out of the game has a better chance of winning it.
08:04And I think winning the title in 24 doesn't mean that we are less hungry,
08:11but I think it kind of makes us more balanced, that yes, we have won an ICC title
08:16and we'll try to do our best to win this one.
08:20Shubhan, you are called the next generation's big batter.
08:24But do you think that the way Virat bhai has performed in the knockouts,
08:29in the big matches, so-called, and then the way Rohit bhai has performed,
08:33do you envision that if I have to go in that direction,
08:37the way Virat bhai has done, the way Rohit bhai has done,
08:39the way Yuvipa has done, the way Sachin sir has done,
08:41then it's very important to capitalize on these matches.
08:45If you think about it, can you tell us a little bit about it, can you debrief it?
08:49Yes, it is very important to capitalize on big matches.
08:52But I think all the matches that we play at the international level,
08:55the efforts as a batsman are to capitalize on every match
08:59and try to do well in every match.
09:02But the nature of cricket is that no matter how much you try in every match,
09:06you can't score 100 in every match, you can't score 50 in every match.
09:09But obviously, if it's a big occasion, you try to prepare yourself better.
09:16When I'm batting, I try to give myself 3-5 balls more because it's a big occasion
09:21and give myself the best chance to perform.
09:26Shubman, you mentioned that this is the best batting order you've batted in
09:30and you bat very deep and almost everyone's got runs through the tournament.
09:34How much does that free you up to take more risks at the top of the order and bat more freely?
09:40I honestly don't really think about that I need to take more risks or I need to take less risks.
09:44It's about me being in my zone and taking calculative risks
09:48and I think that is the hallmark of my game.
09:52I take risks at the right point when I feel the bowler is under pressure
09:56and most of my batting is instinctive.
10:00I don't play any shots which are pre-planned.
10:04I see the situation and I see when is the right time to put the bowler under pressure.
10:11Obviously when you're playing on the wicket, you kind of have an idea of what kind of total you're looking to make on that wicket
10:17and then you add 15-20 runs to give that extra cushion to the bowlers
10:20and that's what I think of when I'm batting.
10:24Shubman, you're barely five years into your India career.
10:27You mentioned this is your second big ICC final
10:30and you rightly answered the question right now about how winning in 2024 will give the team confidence.
10:36But perhaps for the average Indian fan,
10:38the memories of the last World Cup, 50 over format, you were there.
10:42Now you're vice-captain.
10:43Have you seen something as a senior player now because you are a senior player
10:48given your success in the one-day format and now vice-captain.
10:50Have you seen something in that dressing room right now
10:53that you think tomorrow is going to be a good day?
10:56Yes, definitely.
10:59I think the similarities between the last World Cup and the one in 2023,
11:03obviously we lost the final there,
11:06but when we talk about a good team environment or culture,
11:12everyone motivates each other.
11:15I'm talking about my team.
11:18We all motivate each other, push each other.
11:22If someone is doing well, how can he do better?
11:25We talk about that.
11:27And whenever a team is under pressure,
11:30we don't point out one person.
11:33As a team, we collectively talk about how we can do better.
11:37If there is pressure on him,
11:39how can we help that person as a team to reduce the pressure on him.
11:43So I think all these things are not seen in the match.
11:46Performance is seen in the match, batting is seen, bowling is seen.
11:49But all these things are just as important as 100 or 5 wickets or 4 wickets.
11:56So our team environment or culture plays a big role in our success.
12:04Shubman, you just talked about staying in the zone and finding that zone.
12:07Over the years, you've never come out of the nets.
12:10Even today you were batting, yesterday you were batting.
12:12So could you just talk about your training sessions
12:14and what triggers that point where you find that zone?
12:17And do you continue batting because you don't want to leave that zone?
12:20Because generally, on pre-match days or before big exams,
12:23you don't revise much, you take it easy.
12:25But you never take it easy.
12:27So what is it about you finding that zone and never letting it go then?
12:31Whenever I'm batting in the nets,
12:34I feel for me, it's about me trying to play as close to
12:39as how I would play in the match.
12:41And that is the zone for me.
12:43You know, sometimes we bat in the nets
12:45and we aren't really thinking about the situation,
12:47we just want to bat well.
12:49But more often than not, in an important match,
12:53there might be a chance that you're not hitting the ball well.
12:56How would I want to score runs then?
12:59If it's hard for me to hit boundaries,
13:03then how would I take those singles
13:05and put the pressure off of me in a power play?
13:08So these are the things that I try to do in the nets.
13:10And I think it's easy to hit boundaries,
13:13it's easy to hit sixes,
13:15but doing these small things are, I think, more difficult.
13:17And that's why it requires a lot of repetitions for me.
13:22And I think that's what helps me in the match to stay in my zone.
13:27Shubman, the weather has changed from yesterday till now.
13:31And now that you have seen the pitch,
13:33we believe that it is the same pitch which was used for India-Pakistan,
13:37but yet it has been two weeks.
13:39So taking the weather into the mind and the pitch conditions,
13:42can you tell us what the team is thinking about?
13:46Sir, I don't think the wicket is going to behave any differently.
13:50We haven't really seen a 300 score here as yet.
13:55And I think irrespective of the weather,
13:57the wicket is going to be similar to what we have been playing on.
14:00And I think we as a team have got a good idea
14:05of how to play on those kind of wickets
14:07and how to bowl on those kind of a wicket.
14:10Shubman, there is a lot of speculation in the media
14:12that Rohit Sharma might leave cricket after tomorrow's match.
14:17Has there been any discussion like this in the dressing room?
14:22No, sir. All the discussions so far have been about winning the match,
14:25winning the Champions League.
14:27And I haven't spoken to the team about this decision.
14:34And I don't think Rohit bhai is thinking much about it right now.
14:38Once tomorrow's match is over,
14:41I think we will take that decision.
14:43And there is no discussion about this in the other team.