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ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill doesn’t want to judge whether Indo-Pak rivalry is ‘overhyped’ and instead wants to give ‘all his heart’ for his country.
Shubman Gill (Image: AP)
Indian ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill said it wasn’t on him to call his team’s rivalry with Pakistan as ‘overhyped or underhyped’ when so many people enjoyed it. He said that instead of judging that, he’d focus on representing India and winning ‘with all my heart’.
Gill was speaking on the eve of the 2025 Champions Trophy group stage clash between the teams in Dubai. The last time these sides met in the tournament was the 2017 final where the Men in Green came on top. But since then, India have won most of these head-to-head matches in ICC and Asia Cup tournaments.
“Sir, I don’t believe that over-hype or under-hype is a thing,” Gill told the press. “India-Pakistan has a long history. It’s an exciting contest when both these teams play. Everyone enjoys watching it. If so many people are happy to watch the match, then who are we to say that it is underhyped or overhyped? We go there to play cricket. Our effort is to play for the team I am playing for, to represent my country, and to win with all my heart.”
“It is important but the most important match will be the final,” he added.
Gill has been India’s best ODI batter since 2023. In the first match of this tournament, against Bangladesh, he top-scored with an unbeaten 101 to help the team get off to a good start.
In that match, skipper Rohit Sharma set the foundation for the win with a brisk 36-ball 41 on the other end.
Speaking about their partnership and camaraderie, Gill said: “Rohit bhai likes to play more aerial shots and try to make those sixes. I like to play around the ground and use those gaps. If I see the bowlers under pressure, then I take my chances to go over the circle. That’s the hallmark of us as a pair. We score boundaries with different shots and the bowlers really have to think which areas to target first because the areas that we play, the shots are different.”
Winning this match will all but guarantee India’s qualification for the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Pakistan need to necessarily win the match to have a chance to proceed to the next stage.
- Location :
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
