‘Virat and Rohit make your life easier’: Shubman Gill ahead of first ODI against New Zealand

VADODARA: India ODI captain Shubman Gill has highlighted the importance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian cricket team.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the 1st India vs New Zealand ODI of the three-match ODI series, Gill lauded Rohit as one of the greatest openers in ODIs and Kohli as one of the greatest batters in ODI cricket ever.

The India ODI captain Gill added that having Rohit and Kohli in the side makes a captain’s life much easier, because whenever there is a challenging situation, you can go to them for decision-making, which is valuable for any captain.

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Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma ready for the #INDvNZ ODIs #TeamIndia | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @imVkohli | @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/8xWIo7CtBm

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 10, 2026

“Among the two players you have named, one is one of the greatest openers (Rohit) of all time in ODIs, and Virat bhai is one of the greatest ODI batsmen ever. So definitely, having these two people in your team makes your life a lot easier, and whenever you are in a challenging situation, you can go to them for input. Because they have often been in those situations, you can go to them to see how they think or what they would do. That piece of information is very valuable for any captain,” Gill said.

Gill also stressed finding the best combination and playing at full strength, irrespective of the opposition. “We don’t look at any opposition, since they aren’t at their full strength. We want to play at full strength and find the best combinations.”

The Indian skipper said that in India, bowling second is relatively difficult because of dew, but defending targets in those conditions will boost his side’s confidence.

“Like I said earlier, in what kind of a particular situation, as we will see in other matches that we play in India, the team that is bowling second, it is relatively difficult for them with the dew. And if we can, by defending a target and finding the best combinations, where bowlers can step up in those conditions,” Gill said.

“If we do well, we will feel much more confident. Same thing with batting second. If we have a high target, how often can we chase it, and how comfortable are we when we are put under pressure,” Gill added.

The Indian captain further said that a batsman’s skill set is tested more in ODI cricket because of the different phases, and a batter needs to shift gears accordingly compared to the other two formats (Tests and T20Is).

Right now, ODI cricket is not played as much as it used to be. Sometimes the art of batting in a particular gear is required, because when you are batting in Tests and T20s, it is entirely different. You don’t have to change your gears as much,” the Indian captain said.

“But when you are playing the ODIs, the skill set of a batsman is tested much more because there are different, various gears that you would have to shift from time to time. And that is the skill we are trying to develop, and as much as we can, still within ourselves,” Gill added. (ANI)