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Shubman Gill has been named India's vice-captain for both ODIs and T20Is starting from the Sri Lanka tour. He expressed his appreciation for Gautam Gambhir and the new management, and hoped for positive results under their leadership. In a press conference at Pallekele, Gill also addressed his omission from the World Cup 2024 winning squad, reflecting on his year of dismal performances across formats and his ambitions to cement his place as a key player in all formats.
This tour marks the beginning of Gautam Gambhir's tenure as the new Indian head coach, succeeding Rahul Dravid who stepped down following India’s historic triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024. Despite a stellar year as a batter, Gill did not secure a spot in the final 15-member squad for the mega tournament held in the West Indies and the USA. Instead, he, along with Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed served as traveling reserves.
"During the matches before the T20 World Cup, I could not perform to the level that I was expecting from myself. In the upcoming cycle where we will play 30-40 T20Is, I will try to improve my performance as a batsman. We are playing some 10 (Test) matches before January, and I am looking forward to it, especially five of them in Australia. After that we are playing the Champions Trophy which would be really exciting. But these six matches (3 T20Is and 3 ODIs against SL) are very crucial riding into the Test matches," said Gill in the presser before first IND vs SL T20I.
Gill on Gambhir
Star batter Shubman Gill also hailed ex-KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir after his interaction with the new coach in the net sessions ahead of the first T20Is against the Island nation.
"We are the world champions and we will look to play accordingly, and, hopefully, we will have more success under the new coaching staff. This is the first time I am working with him (Gambhir). But during those two net sessions, his intent and communication have been very clear. He is very clear about which player he wants to work with at a particular time and on which areas he wants to work with him," said the Gujarat Titans captain.
Gill on receiving white-ball vice-captaincy
Shubman was really humble while reflecting on the promotion and said it doesn't change much and still is main focus lies on performing and winning matches for the Men in Blue side.
"It (vice-captaincy) doesn't change much. When I bat out there, I still need to perform and I need to win matches for the team. But when you are out on the field, you need to make a bit more decisions, and that's the only difference” he concluded.
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