Follow UsAfter missing out on India’s first two matches, in-form opener Shubman Gill is likely to make a comeback for the clash between India and Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14, 2023 (Saturday). Gill was down with dengue fever in Chennai and missed out on India’s matches against Australia and Afghanistan.
On Thursday, Gill hit the nets in Ahmedabad with the Gujarat Cricket Association providing five net bowlers, but Rohit Sharma added a sense of positivity about his comeback. As a matter of fact, Gill scored close to 1,000 runs in the IPL 2023, with Ahmedabad as his home venue.
“99% he is available. We'll see tomorrow,” Rohit said in the pre-match press conference.
This will be the biggest audience any of India or Pakistan players would have ever witnessed, with all tickets sold out within minutes. Would that add pressure on the side to deliver? Rohit, however, doesn’t think so.
“I don't think there is any disadvantage,” Sharma said. “You feel nice about playing in front of your home crowd. They get behind you no matter what the situation of the game is. In my overall experience playing, not just in India but even outside India, we get massive support.
“So, I have so far never experienced where the crowd has gone against us or anything like that. So, I look at this as a good advantage, big advantage. But we know that eventually, it boils down to playing good cricket. And whatever it takes to win the game, you've got to do that. So yes, you can use the support, but eventually, you've got to play good cricket to win the game.”
After scoring five centuries in the 2019 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup and thus becoming the highest run-scorer of the edition, Rohit Sharma has already scored a century against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup to make his intent clear. On being asked if his mindset or any process has changed for him, Rohit added that he always tries to tick some boxes before every game, but there hasn’t been any significant mindset shift.
“Not a lot, to be honest. I know what are the things that I need to do to find success on the field in terms of me as a player and then as a captain. But speaking of just the player first, the batter, I think there are certain boxes for me that I have to tick before every game, just to get you that confidence. For me, preparation is very important. I said at the start of the World Cup that I needed to prepare well to get into the tournament.
“And I thought I've done everything that I can from my side to prepare well for each game. Because we know every day is a new day, a fresh day. And you start your fresh day with a new challenge. What you've done in the past, what you've done yesterday, doesn't really matter too much. You can take a bit of confidence from that, but like we know in sport, every day is a fresh day. You play different opposition. They bring you new challenges.
“And you just got to be ready to face that challenge and confront that challenge. So, I think for me as a batter, that is something that I've really focused on, getting myself ready in whatever way I can and whatever it takes for me to get ready for any game. I have to do that. And I've done that really well mentally, understanding my game, which is very important.
“And I understood my game, what is my game, and what is the team's requirement from my game and from my ability. So, I think I try and do all of that to the best of my ability. If it comes out, it comes out. If it doesn't, it's OK. As long as I know that before entering the game, I have ticked all the boxes, I'm happy with that,” the Indian skipper added.