Media365
NEW DELHI: India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill on Tuesday defended Team India following their Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series loss, stating that one match or one bad single day does not define the team’s capabilities.
India experienced their first series loss in ten years of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, falling to Australia with a 1-3 scoreline in the five-match contest.
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The squad will see the comeback of key players including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Gill for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, followed by the all-important ICC Champions Trophy with India matches slated to be held in Dubai.
“One series does not define the form of the whole team. There are a lot of players who, in the past, have performed consistently in a lot of series and tournaments,” Gill told mediapersons in Nagpur ahead of the first ODI against England.
“Definitely, we did not play as per our expectations in the Australian series, but still we played some good cricket. We were unfortunate not to have (Jasprit) Bumrah on the last day and we would have won the match and the series would have been a draw and this talk wouldn’t have happened.
“One match and one day doesn’t define us, we won there twice before and earlier won a World Cup and then reached the final of a World Cup, so we should keep all those things in mind.”
The selection of Gill as the team’s vice-captain became one of the major talking points as Team India announced its squad for the England series and 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Addressing the media during the squad reveal, chief selector Ajit Agarkar shed light on this significant decision.
“Gill has been vice-captain in Sri Lanka as well,” Agarkar stated. “You always want to be on the lookout for leaders. I won’t look into it much but a lot of the feedback for these decisions comes from the dressing room.”
At 25, Gill has already established himself as one of India’s premier batsmen across all formats, having amassed 2328 one-day international (ODI) runs in 47 innings with an average of 58.20.
With his average backing his potential, Gill has emerged as a natural leader on and off the field, making him a fitting deputy to captain Rohit Sharma.
India begin their Champions Trophy campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh, followed by high-octane clashes against Pakistan (February 23) and New Zealand (March 2).
