Shubman Gill hails India’s batting depth ahead of ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand

DUBAI: As India gears up for the ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai, opener Shubman Gill expressed confidence in the team’s batting strength, calling it the best lineup he has ever been a part of.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gill lauded the presence of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, along with the depth in the middle order, which allows the top order to play with more freedom.

“Sir, I think this is the best batting lineup that I have been part of personally. Rohit and Virat I think are all-time one-day greats in the world. Rohit is one of the best openers in white ball. And Virat is one of the best ODI batsmen ever,” Gill said.

He further highlighted how the presence of in-form players like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja has strengthened the team’s batting unit.

“In case of batting, we have Shreyas in such good form, KL, Hardik, Jaddu. So, I think the depth in our batting makes it easier for the upper batsmen. We can play more freely from the top because we have so much depth,” he added.

Reflecting on India’s initial struggles, Gill admitted that a lack of batting depth had put extra pressure on the top-order batters earlier, but the current squad has successfully addressed that issue.

“I think this is one thing in which we struggled a little in the beginning. There was not enough depth in batting. So, there was a little more pressure on the batsmen to score long. But I think the depth in batting allows us to play a little more freely,” he explained.

With India eyeing another major ICC title, all eyes will be on how they counter the challenge posed by New Zealand in what promises to be a high-stakes final.

India is undefeated in the tournament so far, and the Kiwis have looked rock solid with bat and ball under Mitchell Santner’s captaincy.

The clash promises to be an epic sequel to the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy final, which New Zealand won. Men in Blue would like to avenge losses to the Blackcaps in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal and 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.

India claimed last week’s contest against the Kiwis by 44 runs, after posting 249 runs from their 50 overs and restricting New Zealand to 205 runs all out in the 46th over. While there’s been a lot of focus on spin bowlers stepping up in the UAE, it was Matt Henry who starred with the ball for the Black Caps, claiming 5/42 off eight overs, in an innings where Shreyas Iyer top-scored for India with a 79 off 98 balls.

Kane Williamson fought valiantly for the Kiwis with an 81 (120 balls), but couldn’t find support in the middle order. India’s spinners combined for nine wickets, led by ‘secret weapon’ Varun Chakaravarthy, taking 5/42 – coincidentally the exact figures as Henry for the Kiwis – in what was just the 33-year-old leg-spinner’s second One Day International.

Squads:

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.

New Zealand Squad: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke, Daryl Mitchell, Nathan Smith, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy. (ANI)