DUBAI: India’s hunger for a global title remains undiminished but there will be no desperation when they clash with New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday, opener Shubman Gill said.
India ended an 11-year global title drought when they won the Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies last year under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
Stopping that barren run has allowed them to play the big matches like Sunday’s final without getting overwhelmed by the occasion, said the 25-year-old Gill.
“Sometimes once you get one title, I think that kind of breaks the jinx,” he told reporters at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on the eve of the final.
“It gives you the momentum, also you are not very desperate about getting the title. It’s not good when desperation kicks in. Then it becomes hard to put the occasion out of the equation.
‘No advantage’ in playing Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, says Indian batting coach
“In all these big matches, the players or the teams that can put aside the pressure and take the occasion out of the game have a better chance of winning.
“I think winning the title in 2024 doesn’t mean that we are less hungry but I think it makes us more balanced that yes we’ve won an ICC title and we’ll try to do our best to win this one.”
India remain the tournament’s only unbeaten team having already defeated New Zealand in a group game in Dubai.
They have been boosted by stalwart Virat Kohli’s return to form and the firepower in their middle order.
“I think this is the best batting lineup that I have been part of,” Gill said. “Rohit and Virat are all-time one-day greats. Rohit is one of the best openers in white ball and Virat is one of the best ODI batsmen ever.
“The batting depth that we have has made life easier for the top order batsmen. Those of us in the top order play with so much of freedom because of our batting depth.”
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