Vaibhav Tripathi in Dubai
Shubman Gill hurried back into the press conference room. The session had ended, but a storm had already begun brewing over his words. His comment on Rohit Sharma’s retirement had set off a flurry of speculation, and he was determined to clear the air.
‘Jaise aap soch rahe ho vaise meaning nahi tha (Nothing like what you guys are thinking),’ the Indian team amanger explained after Gill prompted him, attempting to quell the speculation ignited by Gill’s earlier statement: “There has been no such talk in the dressing room. We are only focused on the match. Rohit isn’t thinking about that either. After the match, he will take the decision.”
Yet, the whispers of Rohit’s potential farewell refuse to fade. The murmurs only grew louder after he was spotted in a lengthy, late-night conversation with Virat Kohli at the ICC academy, a scene that has only fuelled the intrigue surrounding his future.
Having kicked off the tournament in scintillating fashion, Gill has faltered in his last two outings, falling cheaply against Australia and New Zealand.
“Whatever matches you play, you look to do well,” Gill said, addressing his back-to-back failures. “Obviously, you can’t score a hundred every time. But in a big match, you try to see out a few deliveries to get your eye in.”
As for the pitch, the same one used in the India-Pakistan group-stage clash will be reused in the final after authorities gave it time to rest. But with the unpredictable weather in Dubai, could the pitch play differently? “I don’t think the wicket will play differently. We haven’t seen a score of 300 here, and I don’t think the weather will affect it,” Gill responded.
India and New Zealand have been the most consistent and well-balanced teams throughout the tournament, but the real test now lies in managing the occasion in a major final.
“Whichever team handles the pressure better will win the final,” Gill said about the high-stakes clash against New Zealand. “We just need to treat it like any other match, and good teams will do that.”
Whether setting a target or chasing one down, India’s batting lineup has excelled against every challenge so far.
“This is the best batting lineup I have been part of,” said Gill. “Rohit is one of the best white-ball openers. Kohli is one of the best players. Then there’s Shreyas, KL bhai, Hardik bhai…”