“Will Be Very Difficult For Me”: Shubman Gill on the Pressure of Following in the Footsteps of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

July 6, 2024 0 889

Shubman Gill acknowledged the pressure to match the achievements of Indian cricket legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, admitting that it will be very difficult to reach their level.

Shubman Gill is starting his captaincy journey with Team India during the Zimbabwe series, stepping into the role after the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Expressing his preference to open the batting, similar to Rohit and Kohli’s roles, Gill highlighted his experience as an opener in T20 cricket.

“I think Rohit Bhai was an opener and Virat Bhai also opened in this World Cup…I have also opened in T20s. So, I think I will want to open in T20Is,” Gill told reporters ahead of the 1st T20I in Harare.

However, the pressure to follow in the footsteps of Rohit and Kohli is immense. Gill acknowledged that while there are high expectations, replicating the achievements of these modern-day greats is challenging. Rohit and Kohli retire as the top run-scorers in T20I history, leaving big shoes to fill.

“Pressure and expectations…they I think always remain. But what Virat Bhai and Rohit Bhai have achieved, if I look to achieve that or reach that, it will be very difficult for me. Every player has his own goal, where he wants to reach. That is the pressure. If you want to reach where other people have reached, then you have more pressure,” Gill said

“Obviously there is pressure. But what they’ve achieved or what they did for India…they are both idols and legends of Indian cricket. But as players and the team the things we want to achieve, there is definitely pressure about that,” he added.

Debuting as India’s captain, Gill hopes his experience leading Gujarat Titans in the IPL will aid him. He believes the key challenges in captaincy are mental, focusing on preparing and motivating players to confidently showcase their skills on the field.

“I’ve learned a lot of lessons when I captained my IPL team for the first time. I got to know a lot more things about myself and a lot more things about the leadership perspective. I felt most of the challenges that you face as a captain are more mental, how you prepare the boys. Everyone’s got the skill set, it’s about how you can give them (other players) the confidence to be able to deliver that skill set on the field,” he concluded.