Ahmedabad (Gujarat): Ailing super striker Shubman Gill is most likely to join the team for its big-day match against Pakistan at Motera on Saturday. “He is 99 per cent available. We will see tomorrow,” skipper Rohit Sharma said at his pre-match press conference at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Friday.
Shubman Gill had trained with the support staff to test his fitness for an hour on Thursday. Gill practiced at the stadium on the match eve too. He had flown into Ahmedabad on Wednesday and had come for Thursday wearing a mask. On Friday he had dispensed with the mask and trained in the evening along with the team.
Gill’s availability will give a shot in the arm of the team as he has tackled the speed of Shaheen Afridi in the Asia Cup with sound shots and handsome boundaries against the left-arm seamer.
The skipper also did not rule out the possibility of using three spinners, saying if the condition requires he will take that decision.
“I haven’t looked at the pitch yet but we are ready for whatever combination we want to play. That is the challenge going forward for us a team depending on what kind of conditions we play in …. if there is a change or two, we need to make we will be ready with that. The guys have been informed much in advance about such changes, so I don’t think that will be any issue with the players. If the requirement for us is there to play three spinners we will play three spinners,” he said.
This would mean the inclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin if the vulnerability of the Pakistani batters to spin is taken into consideration as well as the nature of the red or black pitch.
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“If it is black, we’ve got guys who can attack that kind of a wicket, if it is red, again guys who can adapt to those pitches. These are all Indian cricketers and they have played in all these conditions. As a captain, I prefer to play in any kind of conditions,” he said.
As is customary for any skipper before a big-rivalry match, Sharma played down the pressure of the moment playing against Pakistan.
“I don’t believe in psychological advantage. We need to play good cricket and carry the momentum forward. There are no underdogs in the match. Both teams will start equal. It will be just about handling the pressure and dictating terms on your own way. It matters how we start and carrying that momentum forward is crucial,” he said. “It is just another opposition, like the last two matches. No need to think less or more. Don’t need to do anything different.”
Talking about his role as a skipper and batter, Rohit said he needs to find success on the field in terms of him as a player and as a captain.
“Speaking of just the player first, the batter, I think there are certain boxes for me that I have to tick before every game just to get you that confidence. For me, preparation is very important. I have done everything from my side to prepare well for each game. What you have done yesterday doesn’t really matter, you can take a bit of confidence from that but we know, in sport, every day is a fresh day. You play different oppositions, they bring you new challenges. You just got to be ready to face that challenge." he added.
“As a batter that is really something I have focussed on… getting myself ready in whatever way I can for any game …. I have done that well, mentally understanding my game and what is the team’s requirement from my game and my ability,” he explained.
Talking about the role of the toss in games of this World Cup, Rohit Sharma said it was not much of a factor till now.
“In Delhi, we were expecting, it didn’t come. In Chennai also it came after 25 overs when 75 percent of the game was done. So, I don’t think dew is going to be a major factor. It is what the team will be comfortable doing, chasing or posting a total … that’s what we try to do,” he said.
Hotly denying he gets tears in his eyes when the national anthem plays, he admitted “everyone gets emotional”. Rohit said rhythm is very important for a team.
“In the last seven or eight matches, our bowlers, first in Lanka and then here, performed well. Whether spinners or seamers, both have put pressure. Our bowlers learned a lot from the Rajkot match against Australia where they made 350 runs. We see how we can improve. Our batsmen, too, have performed well till No 8, so all the boys are in the rhythm and it is always nice to go into any World Cup match with that kind of rhythm and confidence,” he added.
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