Not Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill Picks This Batter To Face The Last Over: "It Would Be Amazing"
India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, and all-format women's leader Harmanpreet Kaur took part in a rapid-fire session at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 on Sunday.
India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, and all-format women's leader Harmanpreet Kaur took part in a rapid-fire session at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 on Sunday. The trio was asked to name a bowler and a batter they would trust to handle the final over for the team. While Suryakumar picked pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Gill opted for Arshdeep Singh and former captain Rohit Sharma, respectively.
"If Rohit Bhai is there until the end, it would be amazing," Gill said. He then joked about his bowling choice: "I mean, Arshdeep-if he's not bowling wide yorkers. Sometimes one over becomes a two-over over!"
Suryakumar was firm in his choices: "Bumrah, definitely. I don't want to take anything away from Arshdeep, but it has to be Jasprit Bumrah. And for batting? Definitely Hardik Pandya."
Harmanpreet Kaur, who led India to their maiden Women's World Cup title in 2025, chose Deepti Sharma to bowl and Smriti Mandhana to bat. "Deepti for the ball. For batting, Smriti. She has been winning all the awards lately; she deserves to play that over," Harmanpreet noted.
The ceremony celebrated a historic run for India, including the men's 2026 T20 World Cup victory over New Zealand and the women's U19 World Cup triumph in 2025.
Suryakumar-led Team India lifted the T20 World Cup earlier this month, thrashing New Zealand by 96 runs in the final. Batting first, India posted a massive 255/5, courtesy of Sanju Samson's 89 off 46 balls and Ishan Kishan's 54 off 25.
While chasing, New Zealand were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah starring with 4/15 and Axar Patel chipping in with 3/27.
The Indian women's team, on the other hand, remained unbeaten throughout the 2025 ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup and beat South Africa by nine wickets in the final to secure the title.
The BCCI felicitated India's five World Cup-winning teams at the Naman Awards, in a grand celebration of the country's recent cricketing success.
(With ANI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
India Women
Rohit Sharma