New Delhi
India’s newly appointed ODI captain Shubman Gill on Thursday said he will try to maintain a calm atmosphere in the dressing room like his predecessor Rohit Sharma when he takes charge of the format from the Australia tour later this month.
25-year-old Gill, who is already captaining the Indian Test team, will start his ODI captaincy with the three-match series to be held in Australia from October 19 to 25. When Gill was asked about increasing his role ahead of the second Test match against West Indies starting on Friday, he said, “I want to imbibe Rohit Bhai’s patience and the friendship he has created in the team.”
Gill also tried to put an end to speculations over the future of Rohit and star batsman Virat Kohli, both of whom are now available only in the ODI format. He has retired from T20 International and Test.
Gill said, “Both of them have won many matches for India. Very few people have this much skill and experience. We need him.” Kohli is currently in London and Rohit is at his home in Mumbai. Both will join the team before leaving for Australia on October 15. On getting the captaincy of the ODI format, Gill said that he felt honored by it.
Gill said, “It was announced after the first Test against West Indies (in Ahmedabad), but I came to know about it a little earlier. It’s an honor to lead India.” He also talked about his relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir, who is considered the main architect of the ongoing change in Indian cricket. Gill said, “Our relations are good. We talk about how to provide a safe environment for the players. Apart from this, we also talk about creating a pool of fast bowlers.
