Shubman Gill Leads India to Victory, But Ganguly Sees More ‘Gills’ in the Team
Shubman Gill was India’s hero against Bangladesh, scoring a brilliant century to steer his team to victory. However, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly believes this team has more ‘Gills’—players capable of stepping up when needed.
Gill’s match-winning knock came at a crucial moment, guiding India through a challenging situation with an unbeaten century. While he may not always be the one to shine, another ‘Gill’ will surely rise to the occasion. Ganguly doesn’t see a shortage of such match-winners in India’s batting lineup.
At just 25 years old, Gill has already played 51 ODIs and notched up eight centuries. He’s also the team’s vice-captain and a key figure in Indian cricket’s future. But when a lineup boasts legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma—two of the greatest ODI batters—India’s batting identity can’t rest on Gill alone.
Ganguly, of course, understands this well. When he talks about ‘multiple Gills,’ he refers to the depth of India’s batting—players who can score centuries and win matches. Speaking to PTI, he highlighted just how stacked India’s lineup is.
“Out of India’s top six, five can be called Shubman Gill—they all have the ability to score centuries and win matches. Just think about the depth when Axar Patel is batting at No. 5,” Ganguly said.
“At one point, India was in trouble in this match. But then KL Rahul, batting at No. 6, came in. Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya were still waiting in the wings. The team has one quality batter after another. The system we have, the way we play cricket, that’s why so much talent keeps emerging.”
After a strong start against Bangladesh, India now turns its focus to its biggest rival—Pakistan. Ganguly is confident that India will dominate the high-stakes clash in Dubai.
“In my opinion, India isn’t just the favorite against Pakistan but for the entire tournament. This match won’t be easy for Pakistan. Spinners will play a key role here, and I think India will stick with the same bowling attack—Shami, Harshit, and Pandya handling the pace, while Axar, Jadeja, and Kuldeep take care of the spin.”
“Dubai’s wicket will assist spin. I believe it will turn and grip. Pakistan doesn’t play spin particularly well, and they don’t have top-quality spinners either. India, on the other hand, has some of the best in the business.”
With the high-voltage clash approaching, all eyes will be on how India capitalizes on its depth and experience against their arch-rivals.
