I want to open in T20Is: Shubman Gill eyes slots left vacant by Kohli, Rohit

NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill recognizes the immense challenge of matching the remarkable achievements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the T20I format. However, the rising batting prodigy aims to gradually adapt to the role of an opener in the shortest format, following the retirement of the two legendary cricketers.
Gill, who was part of the standby players during the recently concluded T20 World Cup, has been entrusted with the responsibility of captaining a relatively inexperienced Indian side in the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, commencing on Saturday in Harare.
"I think Rohit Bhai was an opener and Virat Bhai also opened in this World Cup...I have also opened in T20s. So, I think I will want to open in T20Is," Gill said, as quoted by PTI, during the pre-match press conference.
Gill expressed his desire to chase his personal ambitions without burdening himself with the expectation of equaling the achievements of Kohli and Rohit.
Asked how he will deal with the burden of expectations, Gill said: "Pressure and expectations...they I think always remain. But what Virat Bhai and Rohit Bhai have achieved, if I look to achieve that or reach that, it will be very difficult for me.
"Every player has his own goal, where he wants to reach. That is the pressure. If you want to reach where other people have reached, then you have more pressure," he said.
The 24-year-old expressed his admiration for Kohli and Rohit, considering them as role models for aspiring players in the sport.
"Obviously there is pressure. But what they've achieved or what they did for India...they are both idols and legends of Indian cricket. But as players and the team the things we want to achieve, there is definitely pressure about that."
Gill said that his opening partner for the upcoming five-match T20I series will be Abhishek Sharma, who displayed exceptional performance while representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024.
"Abhishek Sharma will open with me and Ruturaj Gaikwad will bat at No.3," he said.
Gill assumed the role of captain for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL following Hardik Pandya's transition to leading the Mumbai Indians.
As Gill embarked on the Zimbabwe tour, he drew confidence from his previous leadership stint in the IPL, aiming to apply the lessons learned to his current responsibilities.
"I've learnt a lot of lessons when I captained my IPL team for the first time. I got to know a lot more things about myself and a lot more things about the leadership perspective," he said.
"I felt most of the challenges that you face as a captain are more mental, how you prepare the boys. Everyone's got the skill set, it's about how you can give them (other players) the confidence to be able to deliver that skill set on the field."
Gill expressed his belief that the upcoming series against Zimbabwe will provide the youthful Indian squad with valuable experience and crucial exposure to international cricket. He emphasized the significance of this opportunity for the team's development.
"If you look at the team, it's a quite different team from the one that played in the World Cup. There are a lot of young players in the team, including myself.
"We just want to give the players experience and what it is like to play at the international level because a lot of the players haven't played that many matches and some of the players haven't even made their debut.
"I think that is our aim for the series to give them more international exposure and experience."
Talking about Zimbabwe, Gill said: "I think you guys have got a good T20 team. Even the last time when we played in the one-dayers....the last one-day we played went on to be quite a close one.
"We know that it's going to be no different. The way you guys are going to come against us is going to be no different than any other nation and that's the challenge for us," he signed off.