Rohit Sharma Defends Shubman Gill's Abilities Ahead of Champions Trophy

India captain Rohit Sharma has backed Shubman Gill to come good in the Champions Trophy, saying the opener has been 'superb' in limited-overs cricket.

India captain Rohit Sharma has emphasized the importance of his top-order batters scoring big runs ahead of the Champions Trophy. With India seeking their first 50-over title since their 2013 Champions Trophy triumph, Sharma stressed that his team's top-order batters must deliver. “Your top three, four or five batsmen need to get that big score for you to post a big score eventually,” Sharma told reporters ahead of Thursday's match against Bangladesh in Dubai.

Sharma's comments come after India's convincing 3-0 ODI series sweep of England, where they demonstrated their batting prowess. In the only game where they batted first, India scored an impressive 356 runs. Sharma acknowledged that his team would need to replicate such performances to succeed in the Champions Trophy. He expressed confidence in his top-order batters, saying: “I think our top four batters are quite experienced. We know that once they are set, once they are in, they like to get those big runs.”

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Sharma's opening partner, Shubman Gill, along with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, showed promise against England but failed to convert their starts into big scores. Sharma hopes that his top-order batters will learn from these experiences and deliver when it matters most. “They do understand that and everyone understands that between your top four, one has to get that big score,” Sharma said, emphasizing the importance of individual contributions to the team's overall success.

Rohit Sharma has expressed his hopes for a successful Champions Trophy campaign for his opening partner and vice-captain, Shubman Gill. Gill was awarded the player of the series against England after scoring 259 runs, including a century and two fifties. Rohit said: “I hope he has a great tournament. He's been in great form, and he's been doing well for us.”

Gill had faced criticism for his performance in the test series against Australia, where he managed only 93 runs in five innings. However, Rohit defended his teammate, saying that Gill's abilities should not be judged solely on his test performances. “Gill is a very, very classy player. There was never a doubt about his ability in this squad,” Rohit said. “I think we tend to mix formats and I don't think that's the right way to judge any player.”

Rohit emphasized that different formats require different skills and that a player's performance in one format should not be used to judge their abilities in another. “Certain players have their strength in certain formats and if one format doesn't go well, it doesn't mean that (their performances in) the other format will be the same,” he explained. Rohit highlighted Gill's impressive record in limited-overs cricket, saying: “Things have changed, certainly in a different format. So, with Gill, we know the numbers are crazy. He's been superb for us in the last three, four years and there is a reason he's been elevated to vice-captain of the team as well.”

India's Champions Trophy campaign will continue with matches against Pakistan on Sunday and New Zealand on March 2nd. Due to political tensions, India's matches will be played in Dubai, rather than in Pakistan, which is hosting the tournament. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, and Rohit will be hoping that Gill and the rest of the team can deliver strong performances to secure a spot in the knockout stages.