Rohit Sharma Breaks Silence On Shubman Gill, Makes Massive World Cup Admission
India's experienced opener Rohit Sharma has his eyes firmly set on the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027
- Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill set India's second-highest ODI opening partnership with 255 runs
- "Shubman is the captain, but that does not mean I stay away from him or talk less with him," Rohit said
- "Our job is to support him and take the team forward," he added
India's experienced opener Rohit Sharma has his eyes firmly set on the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027. Rohit Sharma opened up about Shubman Gill's captaincy, his desire to win another ICC Men's Cricket World Cup for India, and making the most of every opportunity in the lead-up to next year's tournament. On Wednesday, in the second India vs West Indies ODI, the Indian opening pair of Rohit Sharma and skipper Shubman Gill put together the second-highest opening partnership for the team. Rohit and Gill enthralled the crowd and rewrote the record books during the second ODI against the West Indies at Guwahati.
Chasing a record-breaking target of 406, Rohit and Gill put on a 255-run stand, which ended when Rohit was dismissed for 101 off 75 balls. He struck 10 fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 134.67.
Speaking to JioStar ahead of India's third ODI against the West Indies, Rohit Sharma analysed Shubman Gill's captaincy: "Shubman Gill has a great cricketing brain, no doubt about that. He has been captaining for about a year now, so it is unfair to judge him as a captain so early. But from what I have seen, he has been impressive. He is very clear about what he wants. That is the most important thing a captain should have. If the captain is clear, the players around him will also be clear. That is what I see with Shubman. He knows what he wants and is moving in the right direction. Of course, any captain needs the support of the players and the staff around him. I am sure that in whatever way I can help him, I will do that."
He further elaborated on his camaraderie with Gill: "Shubman is the captain, but that does not mean I stay away from him or talk less with him. Ever since he made his debut, we have been moving in the same direction. That is how it should be, and it should not change for any reason. He needs the confidence of the team, knowing that everyone is moving together. Our job is to support him and take the team forward."
On what winning the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 would mean to him, Rohit said: "It'll be great to win the upcoming ODI World Cup, that's all I'll say. I wouldn't think about full circle and all that now. Winning a World Cup for India is a special feeling. I have experienced that twice in the T20 format. In 2007, I was just a 20-year-old kid. Of course, it's a big tournament. You've won a World Cup in your first year, and it's great. Then we won the Champions Trophy in 2013, and after that there was a long period, almost 11 years, during which we couldn't win an ICC title. That's why, when we won the T20 World Cup in 2024, there was a realisation of how important it was.
"So that feeling is still inside me to a great extent. I know what winning a World Cup feels like. That's why I want that feeling back. The fun we had, you can't describe it because nothing can match it. That's why winning that World Cup is very important to me, because I want to experience that feeling again, which we felt recently."
Watch the third ODI of the West Indies tour of India on Saturday, October 3, from 2 PM onwards, live on JioHotstar and the Star Sports Network.
Rohit Sharma
India Cricket Team