India ODI skipper Shubman Gill on Monday said that veteran batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma remain an integrated part of the team. After India’s 4-0 demolition in the T20I series vs England last week, the focus will now shift to the ODIs, the only format Kohli and Rohit play in national colours after retiring from Tests and T20Is.
“I think Virat Bhai and Rohit Bhai, they have been the backbone of the Indian batting lineup for the past decade and they remain a very integral part of our team,” Gill said during the pre-match press conference.
“The experience and the skill that they bring to the team is obviously very valuable. We have seen what they have done over the past decade in different conditions, repetitively, consistently, in a number of matches, different tournaments, different occasions,” he added.
Gill said experience will come handy when a team goes through a crunch situation.
“If there is an experienced lineup, I think you get a lot of experience in pressure situations because you have been in that situation many times and you have done good and bad. So, I think you get a sense of calmness when you are under pressure. So experience is very important in any lineup,” he said.
Gill said he already held a discussion with Kohli, a veteran in South African conditions, about a workable combination of players for the 50-over World Cup to be held in the Rainbow nation in 2027.
“We (him and Kohli) were talking (at nets) about the combination. Which combination can be the best for SA? Which players are there who may not be in the team right now, but can help us in the future? “Which bowlers are there? Which all-rounders are there? Which spinners are there? So, we were talking about all that,” he noted.
Gill also hoped that the return of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested to manage his workload after IPL 2026, will boost India’s pace attack.
“Bumrah is coming into the setup after a bit of time. And hopefully, he has had a good number of overs leading up to this one-day series.
“And hopefully, this one-day series goes well for him and hopefully we will win the series and end up on a high,” he added.
(With agency inputs)
