Follow UsAhead of the all-important final of the Champions Trophy against New Zealand in Dubai on March 9 (Sunday), Team India vice-captain Shubman Gill admitted that big matches inevitably come with added pressure. At the same time, he insisted that the best teams tend to rise to the occasion.
India won the 2024 T20 World Cup, but it’s been 12 years since the side won an ODI ICC Event. The last time India made it to the final of a mega event in the ODI format, in the 2023 ODI World Cup, they succumbed to pressure, collapsing with the bat while proving non-threatening with the ball.
“I think the pressure of big matches is definitely there,” Gill said ahead of the final against New Zealand.
“In such matches, the team that handles the pressure well, that takes out the occasion and doesn't think that they’re playing the final, their chances of winning are better.
“This is the reason we talk about the great West Indian and Australian teams. Those teams used to take the occasion out and play their best game in knockouts or finals. They used to take out the occasion and remove the pressure from themselves.”
But Gill admitted that ‘forgetting about the occasion’ is easier said than done.
“It’s easy to say that, ‘we won't play thinking that it's the final’. But whenever there is a little pressure, it comes to the mind of the player. Because everything is dependent on one match. But I think good teams are those who can play their normal game.”
The youngster, who has been in fine form in one-day cricket, asserted that experience definitely helps when it comes to handling pressure in big matches. This will be Gill’s fourth ICC event final overall and his second in white-ball cricket after the 2023 ODI World Cup.
“Yes, experience helps,” Gill said.
“We saw Virat in the last match because he has played so many important matches for India, played so many finals, so many semi-finals. The more you are in that situation and the more you have handled the pressure, you know that you have already done this. You know the pattern of the game. So, experienced players definitely come in handy.”
‘Best batting line-up I’ve ever been a part of’
India are unbeaten in this Champions Trophy so far, and a part of the reason why they’ve been untouchable is their ludicrously strong batting, which has proven to be borderline impregnable. India have chased thrice in this Champions Trophy - thanks to losing the toss - but have completed every single chase with relative ease.
Unsurprisingly, Gill branded the current batting line-up the best he’s been a part of.
“I think this is the best batting lineup that I have been part of personally,” Gill said.
“Rohit and Virat, I think, are all-time one-day greats in the world. Rohit is one of the best openers in white ball. And Virat is one of the best ODI batsmen ever. And we have Shreyas in such good form aside from KL, Hardik, Jaddu,” he added.
Gill further spoke about how the batting depth enables the top-order batters to bat with a bit more freedom. India bat till No.8, with Ravindra Jadeja, who averages 32.52 in ODIs, walking in at sixth drop.
“I think the depth in our batting makes it easier for the top-order batsmen,” Gill said.
“We can play more freely from the top because we have so much depth. And I think this is one thing in which we struggled a little in the beginning. There was not enough depth in batting. So, there was a little more pressure on the batsmen to score long. But I think the depth in batting allows us to play a little more freely.”