Shubman Gill to Open Batting with Abhishek Sharma in Zimbabwe T20I Series

July 5, 2024

Shubman Gill, the newly appointed captain of India’s T20I squad for the five-match tour of Zimbabwe, has confirmed that he will open the batting alongside his Punjab state-mate Abhishek Sharma. Ruturaj Gaikwad will bat at number three in the series opener at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

With the next T20 World Cup set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026, the T20Is against Zimbabwe mark the beginning of a new two-year journey for the current world champions in the shortest format.

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

Gill and Abhishek, set to debut in international cricket for India on Saturday, aim to fill the gap left by the T20I retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after India’s World Cup win in Barbados last month.

“There is always pressure and expectations. But what Virat bhai and Rohit bhai have achieved is monumental. If I aim to reach their level, it will be very challenging. Every player has their own goals. There’s pressure, but their achievements for India are unmatched,” added Gill.

Gill also mentioned that his team is focused on performing well in Zimbabwe. “There is pressure to perform in every match or tournament. For this series, our aim is to do well as a team, and that is the pressure we face.”

Apart from Abhishek, new players Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Tushar Deshpande, B. Sai Sudharsan, and Harshit Rana (first two matches only) are part of India’s T20I team, coached by National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman.

“There is definitely a lot of excitement, with many young players set to make their debut. It’s always exciting to see new players doing well. Our goal is to give them international exposure and experience,” said Gill.

Gill acknowledged the challenging conditions in Harare and emphasized that the team is not underestimating Zimbabwe, led by Sikandar Raza. “The conditions will be challenging, but we are prepared. Zimbabwe has a strong T20 team, and we know they will put up a tough fight.”

This series marks Gill’s first time captaining India at the international level. He believes his experience as the skipper of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 will help him tackle the challenges of leading in an international series in Harare.

“I learned a lot of lessons when I captained my IPL team. The challenges as a captain are more mental, about preparing and instilling confidence in the players to deliver on the field,” he concluded.