Shubman Gill Reveals New Opening Partner for 1st T20I vs Zimbabwe, Not Ruturaj Gaikwad

Shubman Gill, captain of India's five-match T20I tour of Zimbabwe, has announced that he will open the batting with his Punjab state-mate Abhishek Sharma. Ruturaj Gaikwad will bat at number three in the series opener at Harare Sports Club on Saturday. This series marks the beginning of a new journey for India, the current T20 World Champions, with the next T20 World Cup set to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

“Abhishek will open with me, and Ruturaj will play at number three. Rohit bhai and Virat bhai had opened in the World Cup, and I also open (the innings) in the T20s. So, I think I would like to open in the T20s,” said Gill in a pre-match press conference.

Gill and debutant Abhishek Sharma are aiming to fill the gap left by the T20I retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after India's World Cup victory in Barbados last month. Gill acknowledged the pressure and expectations but emphasized that he has his own goals to achieve. “What Virat bhai and Rohit bhai have achieved, if I aim to reach that, it will be very difficult for me. Every player has his own goal of where he wants to reach.”

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He added, “There is always pressure whenever you play because there is pressure for you to perform in every match or tournament that you play. So, I don't think there is any pressure in terms of this being the match of a new cycle. But in terms of yes, we want to do well as a team, that is the pressure there for us.”

The new-look Indian team, featuring young talents like Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Tushar Deshpande, B. Sai Sudarshan, and Harshit Rana (for the first two matches only), is coached by National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman. Gill expressed excitement about the team's youthful energy and the opportunity for these players to gain international exposure. “It is always exciting when you see new players coming and making their debut and doing well.”

Gill also highlighted the challenging conditions in Harare and emphasized that the Indian team is not underestimating Zimbabwe, led by Sikandar Raza. “The conditions will be very challenging, as everyone is coming from different time zones. We have been practicing here for two or three days. So, we are used to the conditions here. I think Zimbabwe have got a good T20 team. The way Zimbabwe guys are going to come against us is going to be no different than any other nation, and that's the challenge for us.”

This series will be Gill's first time captaining India at the international level. He believes that his experience as captain of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 will help him navigate the challenges of leading in an international series. “I learned a lot of lessons when I captained my IPL team for the first time. I got to know a lot more things about myself and a lot more things about the leadership perspective. I felt most of the challenges that you face as a captain are more mental, like how you prepare the boys because everyone's got the skill set. It's about how you can give them the confidence to be able to deliver that skill set on the field,” he concluded.

The T20I series against Zimbabwe is not only a fresh start for the team but also an opportunity for young players to showcase their talent on the international stage. As India embarks on this new journey, the cricketing world will be watching closely to see how the young team performs under the leadership of Shubman Gill.

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