Tag: Shubman Gill

Legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar has predicted that the Shubman Gill-led India will beat England 3-1 in the five-match Test series, set to commence tomorrow.

Following the retirement of Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the captaincy reins were handed to 25-year-old Shubman Gill.

Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated series, Tendulkar suggested that Gill should shut the outside noise.

“My advice to him [Gill] would be that he should not worry about what x, y, z is saying,” Tendulkar said.

“His captaincy, whether Shubman is being aggressive, or defensive, or attacking enough, or not a proactive captain, or active captain – whatever that opinion is, it’s only an opinion and it’s from outside, he said of the young batter.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Shubman Gill, who is still new to Test cricket and finding his feet in the longest format, faces the challenge of leading a team that has a huge void to fill in the absence of  Virat Kohli.

“I think what he needs to think about is what was discussed in the dressing room – when they are planning something, are they going according to that plan and whether the decision being made is in the interests of the team – that is what he needs to think about and not about the outside world, Sachin Tendulkar furhter emphasized.

The little master emphasised the thought process for Shubman Gill, noting that players should go out and express themselves.

“The outside world can only give opinions. These guys can go out and play as well, and only the dressing room will have that honour.

No one else will have that. I would say, just go out, it’s a huge honour, enjoy the moment and give your best for the country and do what is in the interest of the country. Other than that, I would say shut the doors to everything. I think that should be his thought process,” he concluded.

For context, India has not won a Test series in England since 2007. In their last series victory, Sachin Tendulkar was a vital cog, scoring an important 91 runs in the first innings of the second Test.

With his valuable contributions, India sealed the three-match series 1-0 under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid.

READ: Hasan Ali opens up after Adelaide Strikers signing for BBL 15

LEEDS: Shubman Gill has a chance to make history in his first match as captain, as India prepare to face England in the opening game of the five-Test series at the iconic Headingley ground, starting on Friday.

The 25-year-old replaced regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who, along with Virat Kohli, announced retirement ahead of the tour, marking the beginning of a new era for Indian Test cricket.

A win at Headingley would make Gill only the third Indian captain to lead the side to victory at this venue, after Kapil Dev (1986) and Sourav Ganguly (2002).

Even stalwarts like MS Dhoni and Kohli couldn’t break the Headingley jinx. In fact, during India’s last appearance here in 2021, Kohli’s men suffered a crushing innings defeat.

It’s important to highlight that India has not clinched a Test series victory on English soil since 2007.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Moreover, on June 20, when Shubman Gill walks out for the toss, he will become India’s fifth-youngest Test captain.

In doing so, he will step into the illustrious lineage of cricketing legends such as Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Sachin Tendulkar.

Since making his debut during the 2020–21 Australia tour, he has featured in 32 Tests, scoring 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05.

However, this will be his first full red-ball tour of England, having only featured in the WTC finals in 2021 and 2023.

The five-match series kicks off at Headingley, with the remaining Tests scheduled at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval.

India squad for England Tests:

Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akashdeep, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav.

READ: Shaheen, Rizwan among Pakistan players picked in BBL 15 draft

MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Saturday, officially named Shubman Gill as the new captain of the national Test team ahead of the much-anticipated five-match Test series against England.

The announcement came alongside the squad reveal for the tour of England, scheduled to begin on June 20.

The 25-year-old replaces Rohit Sharma, who has retired from the longest format, joining fellow stalwarts Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin in bidding farewell to Test cricket.

Gill’s appointment signals a generational shift in Indian cricket, with a strong emphasis on building for the future.

At 25 years and 258 days, Shubman Gill becomes the fifth-youngest Test captain in India’s history, behind only Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, and Ravi Shastri.

Despite limited red-ball captaincy experience, just five first-class matches, including a Ranji Trophy game, Gill has shown leadership promise in white-ball cricket.

He recently led Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2024 playoffs in only his second season as captain.

“We obviously discussed every option that’s there,” said India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar, while explaining the decision.

“Over the last year or so, we have looked at Shubman at various times, even when we played England last year. We are hopeful we have picked the right guy. He’s a terrific player, and best wishes to him.”

Meanwhile, the 18-member squad also includes some notable inclusions and omissions.

While Karun Nair, Shardul Thakur, and Sai Sudharsan have earned spots, senior pacer Mohammed Shami continues to remain out.

Rishabh Pant, recently back from injury, has been named vice-captain and will resume wicketkeeping duties.

India squad for the Test series against England

Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

READ: Shaheen Afridi credits teamwork for Qalandars’ journey to PSL 10 final

DUBAI: Shubman Gill, the vice-captain of the Indian team, has been named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for February 2025 on Wednesday.

The opener pipped Australia’s stand-in skipper Steve Smith and New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips to claim the award.

The 25-year-old accumulated 406 runs at a staggering average of 101.50 in five matchesches over the course of the month.

In his five one-day internationals over the course of the month, Gill compiled 406 runs, averaging 101.50 at a strike rate of 94.19.

The right-hander carried his good form with the bat in the Champions Trophy, after demonstrating excellent performances against England in the home series.

Shubman Gill amassed 259 runs from three matches at an average of 86.33, laced with one hundred and two fifties in the multi-nation tournament.

He was also named as Player of the series in the Indian team’s landslide 3-0 victory against England.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The opener scored two half-centuries in the series against England, along with a sublime hundred in the last match of the series—his breathtaking knock of 112 from 102 balls, featured 14 fours and three sixes.

After the series, Shubman Gill started his Champions Trophy campaign with an unbeaten 101 to steer the Indian team to a comfortable victory against Bangladesh in their tournament opener.

In the second match against arch-rivals Pakistan, Gill dismantled the Pakistani pace attack with an elegant knock of 46 laced with elegant boundaries.

The opener has now bagged three ICC Player of the Month awards. Previously, he bagged the particular award in January and September 2023.

Read: Babar Azam at risk of losing second spot in ICC ODI rankings

India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill has addressed the growing speculation surrounding the retirement of the team’s captain Rohit Sharma ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand.

Ever since Rohit stepped away from T20Is following India’s triumphant ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, many have wondered whether the veteran batter would call it quits from international cricket altogether after the Champions Trophy.

The rumors gained further traction when Rohit opted out of the Sydney Test against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

However, Shubman Gill has now dismissed any such talks, stating that the team is fully focused on the final and that no retirement discussions have taken place within the setup.

“All our discussions have been about winning the final and lifting the trophy. The team and I have not been informed about any such decision,” Gill said when asked about Rohit’s future.

The young opener further emphasized that Rohit Sharma himself wouldn’t be thinking about retirement at this moment, as his attention remains firmly on India’s title clash against New Zealand.

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

“Rohit Bhai would not be thinking about it right now. I believe that once the final is over, he will make a decision. But within the team, there has been no talk regarding his retirement,” he added.

Meanwhile, reports have been circulating about the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) considering a leadership change in the Test format.

According to Indian media, the board is unlikely to persist with Rohit Sharma as Test captain, with Jasprit Bumrah emerging as the frontrunner to take over from the upcoming England tour in June- July this year.

READ: Mohammad Haris comments on Babar-Rizwan’s omission from T20I squad

DUBAI: India vice-captain Shubman Gill has revealed which team will be under more pressure in the highly-anticipated match against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

While addressing the pre-match conference, Gill highlighted the Dubai pitch conditions and said that the team batting second will be under more pressure in the marquee clash.

“Anything over 300 is a ‘very good’ total considering the conditions in Dubai, and with no dew around, the team batting second will be under more pressure.”

“Toss does not matter in Dubai. The dew is not setting in; if it were, it would have made a major difference,” said Gill.

India’s top-order batter also spoke about the Men in Blue’s approach for the highly-anticipated clash, emphasizing the need to play aggressively.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“As a batter, you need to assess the conditions. Definitely, we need to play aggressive and positive cricket, but that depends on how the wicket plays. On these wickets, 260-280 is a good total.”

“On another wicket, we might look to get 320, 350-plus. We don’t have any particular target. But, we try to get 15–30 runs more than par total on any pitch,” he remarked.

Shubman Gill also spoke about the India-Pakistan rivalry, not considering Pakistan a lesser opponent.

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

“India vs Pakistan is big, but Champions Trophy final is the bigger match. We have been playing good cricket but we will not take Pakistan as a lesser side.”

For those unaware, the hosts and defending champions Pakistan did not have the best of starts after losing against New Zealand by 60 runs in the Champions Trophy 2025 opening game.

On the other hand, India opened its campaign by securing a comfortable victory against Bangladesh, courtesy of Shubman Gill’s blistering century.

READ: Champions Trophy: Aqib Javed opens up on Pakistan’s likely playing XI for India clash

DUBAI: Indian opening batter Shubman Gill has once again dethroned Pakistan star batter Babar Azam to claim the top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings on Wednesday.

“India right-hander Shubman Gill overtakes former Pakistan captain Babar Azam to become the top-ranked ODI batter in the world,” ICC stated in a press release.

“It’s a major shake-up at the top of the rankings just prior to the start of the Champions Trophy and leaves an interesting sub-plot to what will transpire over the coming weeks during the eight-team tournament in Pakistan and Dubai.”

For the unversed, this is the second time Gill has gone past Babar to claim the top spot, having previously achieved the feat midway through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Babar Azam is now placed in second position in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings, 23 rating points behind the new No.1 batter, meanwhile, India skipper Rohit Sharma remains in the third spot.

Shubman Gill is the fourth Indian player to become the No. 1 ODI batter after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell moved up two places to fifth and Sri Lankan batter Charith Asalanka jumped eight spots to eighth in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings.

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan achieved his career-best rating as he moved up six places to claim the 15th spot

READ: Ashwin names THIS player to surpass Babar Azam, Rizwan as Pakistan’s best batter

Yashasvi Jaiswal and India captain Shubman Gill thrashed Zimbabwe’s bowlers to all parts of the Harare Sports Club on Saturday to secure a 10-wicket in the fourth T20I and with it claim the series. 

Chasing Zimbabwe’s 152 for seven,  India cruised him with 28 balls to spare to take a 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

The left-handed Jaiswal hammered 93 not out off 53 balls and was named player of the match while Gill made 58 not out off 39 deliveries.

“Chasing was something we talked about,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. “We couldn’t do it in the first game so it was good to get it done.”

Zimbabwe won the first match by 13 runs last Saturday but India have taken charge since then, dominating the next three matches.

Although captain Sikandar Raza hit 46 off 28 balls, Zimbabwe were unable to capitalise fully on their first good start of the series.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Wessly Madhevere (25) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (32) put on 63 for the first wicket after Zimbabwe were sent into bat. But the openers fell in successive overs to part-time bowlers Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube.

India again opted to field only four specialist bowlers, including new cap Tushar Deshpande, who claimed the wicket of Raza while conceding 30 runs in three overs.

Raza said he had thought after his team’s innings that 160 was a par score but admitted: “The way they batted, 180 would not have been enough.”

Jaiswal set the tone in the first over of India’s innings, hitting three boundaries off Richard Ngarava.

There was no let-up as India’s fifty was posted inside four overs and the hundred inside 10 overs.

Jaiswal hit 13 fours and two sixes, while Gill hit six fours and two sixes.

The series wraps up with the fifth T20 in Harare on Sunday.

READ: Barbora Krejcikova beats Jasmine Paolini to win Wimbledon

HARARE: Shubman Gill’s brisk half-century, followed by Washington Sundar’s three-for steered India to a 23-run victory over Zimbabwe in the third T20I of the five-match series here at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

The inexperienced India side, who succumbed to a narrow defeat in the series opener, now lead the five-match series 2-1 with two games to spare.

Opting to bat first, India racked up a commendable total of 182/4 on the tricky surface of the Harare Sports Club.

Leading the way was their young skipper Shubman Gill, who scored a magnificent half-century.

Gill gave India a solid start with his 67-run opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The solid opening stand lasted in the ninth over when Jaiswal fell victim to Sikandar Raza in the ninth over after scoring 36 off 27 deliveries.

Gill was then involved in yet another important partnership for India when he added 72 runs for the third wicket with Raturaj Gaikwad before finally walking back in the 18th over.

He remained the top-scorer for India with a 49-ball 66 which included 10 boundaries including three sixes.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Gaikwad bolstered India’s total at the backend with clean hitting but failed to convert his brilliant knock into a well-deserved half-century as Blessing Muzarabani dismissed him in the final over.

Raturaj Gaikwad was the other notable run-getter for India with a quickfire 49 off just 28 balls with the help of four fours and three sixes.

For Zimbabwe, Sikandar Raza and Blessing Muzarabani bagged two wickets each.

In response, Zimbabwe managed 159/6 in the allotted overs as they failed to recover from the dismal start.

Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar ran through Zimbabwe’s top order, reducing the home side to 39/5 in seven overs.

Dion Myers then glimmered a ray of hope for Zimbabwe as he took on the India bowlers amid his gutsy knock.

Myers waged a lone battle for Zimbabwe with an unbeaten 65 off 49 deliveries but lamented support from the other end and thus the home side came up short.

Sundar led the bowling charge for India with three wickets, followed by Avesh Khan with two.

READ: Rilee Rossouw’s ton propels Jaffna Kings to ease past Colombo Strikers

India on Monday, announced a young 15-member squad, led by Shubman Gill, for the five-match away series against Zimbabwe.

The five-match series will commence on July 6, a week after the conclusion of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

India’s squad for the Zimbabwe tour features only two players  — Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson — from their T20 World Cup 2024 squad.

The squad features four players from India’s travelling reserves for the ongoing mega event, including Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmad.

Besides familiar names, India also named four uncapped players Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, and Tushar Deshpande at the back of their brilliant performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Meanwhile, young all-rounder Tilak Varma, who also had an impressive run in the IPL 2024, failed to make a cut in the Indian squad.

According to the details, Verma, who has represented India in 16 T20 internationals since his debut in August last year, is recovering from a left-hand injury, which he sustained ahead of Mumbai Indians’ last game in IPL 2024.

Avesh, Deshpande, Mukesh Kumar and Khaleel will form India’s pace attack while Nitish Reddy, who had an impressive season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, will serve as another pace-bowling action.

Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar will lead the spin attack with Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma as part-time options.

India’s squad for T20I series against Zimbabwe: Ꮪhubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.

READ: Rain likely to play spoilsport in crucial India-Australia Super Eights fixture