00:00Alright, guys we have with us our vice-captain Mr. Shubhman Gill, as usual we'll take one question at a time. Who wants to go first?
00:13Hi Shubhman, all the best for the final. Shubhman, how excited are you about this final?
00:18You played a final in 2023 and in 2025 you are playing a final in a big ICC tournament.
00:23From there, what is your journey and your emotions for the final match?
00:26Sir, I am very excited. This is my second ICC event for Team India and second final.
00:35So definitely a lot of excitement and I think the last time we couldn't do it, this time we will try to do it.
00:45Shubhman, it is said that this is another match and we want to play like this.
00:51But everyone knows that it is a final. But what is your experience, whether it is an ICC tournament or an IPL final,
00:59where there is a big stage and big expectations, so how can you control that and play your game?
01:06What procedure do you keep in mind for that?
01:09Sir, I think the pressure of a big match is definitely there.
01:13But as we saw in the last match, if we talk purely about Australia's bowling attack,
01:22they didn't have much experience in bowling attack.
01:24But because it was a big match, a pressure match, so in such matches, the team that handles the pressure well,
01:31which takes out the occasion and doesn't think that we are playing a final, their chances of winning are better.
01:38So I think this was the reason that we talk about good teams, like the West Indies team or the Australian team.
01:46Those teams take out the occasion, just like they play their best game in knockouts or finals.
01:53Because I think they take out the occasion and remove the pressure from themselves.
01:58It is very easy to say that, as you said, it is very easy to say that we will not play thinking that it is a final.
02:05But whenever there is a little pressure, it comes to the mind of the person.
02:10Because so much depends on one match.
02:12But I think good teams are those who take it out and play their normal game.
02:18Does experience help?
02:20Yes, a lot of experience helps.
02:22Like we saw Virat in the last match, because he has played so many important matches for India,
02:27played so many finals, played so many semifinals.
02:30And the more you are in that situation and the more times you have handled that pressure,
02:37then you know that I have already done this.
02:39So you know the pattern of the big game.
02:42So the experience player definitely helps there.
02:45Shoman, in the top three, you, Rohit, Virat, then in the middle order, Shreyas, Kehel, Hardik, then Jaddu.
02:53This kind of batting lineup, have you ever seen best batting lineup in India?
02:56Or you have been part of better batting lineup?
02:59Sir, I think this is the best batting lineup that I have been part of, personally.
03:04Rohit bhai and Virat bhai, I think all time one day greats in the world.
03:11Rohit bhai, one of the best openers in white ball.
03:15And there is no need to talk about Virat bhai, one of the best ODI batsmen ever.
03:20So, to bat in between them, and we have Shreyas in such a good form,
03:27Kehel bhai, Hardik bhai, Jaddu bhai, so I think the depth in our batting,
03:31that makes the work of the upper batsmen a little easier.
03:36We can play a little more freely from above because we have so much depth.
03:40And I think this is one thing in which we used to struggle a little earlier,
03:44there was not much depth in batting, so there was a little more pressure on the upper batsmen to score long.
03:49But I think the depth in our batting allows us to play a little more freely from above.
03:56Shubman, I would like to know about your experience as a vice-captain.
04:02In Sri Lanka, for the first time, you were named the vice-captain.
04:05After that, now you are with the team as a vice-captain in the ICC,
04:09even addressing an important pre-match press conference before the final.
04:13So as a vice-captain, how much have you learnt from Rohit and other senior players?
04:18Tell us a little about your journey as a vice-captain.
04:21Sir, you get to learn a lot.
04:23When you are with the team as a player, obviously you have a responsibility as a batsman, as a fielder.
04:31But when an added responsibility is given to you, it's very important for me to know how the other players are feeling on the field,
04:39if they are thinking the right way.
04:40We have a lot of young players in the team.
04:42As I was talking about experienced players and young players,
04:46because experienced players have done the same thing so many times, they have made mistakes too.
04:51So this is my role at that time,
04:55if there is a young fast bowler or a young spinner in our team,
04:58when there is pressure on them, whether they are thinking the right way or not.
05:01You can be successful or fail in thinking the right way,
05:05but the probability of you being successful increases if you are thinking the right way.
05:09So that is my role in the team.
05:12Whenever the bowlers are under pressure, I have to talk to them, ask their plans.
05:16Sometimes we forget to do simple things under pressure,
05:20so I have to remind them that this is our plan, we will try to do this.
05:24I think that is my role.
05:25A repeat match, this time for a title.
05:29So how much discussions have gone into each of these factors?
05:33And what are the factors which is looked into?
05:36Sorry sir?
05:37A repeat match, this time for a title.
05:41So what are the factors looked into, especially in areas which have to be strengthened?
05:49I think the last time we played them, despite having lost three wickets early in the power play,
05:56we played a good match and I think we won comfortably.
06:00So I don't think there is any added discussion.
06:03Obviously, we can talk about someone from the top three firing,
06:06that would give us a better chance to chase a big total or put up a big total if you are betting first.
06:14So apart from that, I don't think there is any added discussion.
06:18Obviously, the kind of wicket that we will play on would be the discussion.
06:23The wickets that we are playing on here are a bit different than the wickets that are there in Pakistan.
06:30But because I think we have played here four matches and we have done decently well,
06:37so there is no added discussion, I think.
06:39There has always been a lot of talk about the fact that Roy in recent times has lost the toss.
06:45And irrespective of how the toss goes, does that make any impact on your mindset when you go out to bat?
06:51Not really, because as a batsman you are always prepared to bat first.
06:57And if you are getting to bat second, that means you are chasing a total.
07:02So it doesn't really matter, because if you are a bowler, you are always prepared to bowl first.
07:07If you are a batsman, you are always prepared to bat first.
07:09So there is, I mean, we do talk about it, but in a very light way, you know,
07:14that you have lost so many tosses, but that doesn't matter.
07:18Shubman, for 11 years, between 13 and 24, we are talking about how India reached the semifinal,
07:23reached the final, but did not win the title.
07:25The fact that we won in the West Indies last year, does that sort of free up that pressure in any way?
07:32Yes, definitely. I think it's also about the, you know, sometimes once you get one title,
07:39then I think that kind of breaks the jinx and then it gives you the momentum.
07:43And also you are not very desperate about, you know, getting the title.
07:47And it's not good when desperation kicks in.
07:51Then, you know, it's hard to put the occasion out of the equation.
07:55In all these big matches, like I said, the players or the teams that can put aside the pressure
08:01and the occasion out of the game has a better chance of winning it.
08:04And I think winning the title in 24 doesn't mean that we are less hungry,
08:11but I think it kind of makes us more balanced, that yes, we have won an ICC title
08:16and we'll try to do our best to win this one.
08:20Shubhan, you are called the next generation's big batter.
08:24But do you think that the way Virat bhai has performed in the knockouts,
08:29in the big matches, so-called, and then the way Rohit bhai has performed,
08:33do you envision that if I have to go in that direction,
08:37the way Virat bhai has done, the way Rohit bhai has done,
08:39the way Yuvipa has done, the way Sachin sir has done,
08:41then it's very important to capitalize on these matches.
08:45If you think about it, can you tell us a little bit about it, can you debrief it?
08:49Yes, it is very important to capitalize on big matches.
08:52But I think all the matches that we play at the international level,
08:55the efforts as a batsman are to capitalize on every match
08:59and try to do well in every match.
09:02But the nature of cricket is that no matter how much you try in every match,
09:06you can't score 100 in every match, you can't score 50 in every match.
09:09But obviously, if it's a big occasion, you try to prepare yourself better.
09:16When I'm batting, I try to give myself 3-5 balls more because it's a big occasion
09:21and give myself the best chance to perform.
09:26Shubman, you mentioned that this is the best batting order you've batted in
09:30and you bat very deep and almost everyone's got runs through the tournament.
09:34How much does that free you up to take more risks at the top of the order and bat more freely?
09:40I honestly don't really think about that I need to take more risks or I need to take less risks.
09:44It's about me being in my zone and taking calculative risks
09:48and I think that is the hallmark of my game.
09:52I take risks at the right point when I feel the bowler is under pressure
09:56and most of my batting is instinctive.
10:00I don't play any shots which are pre-planned.
10:04I see the situation and I see when is the right time to put the bowler under pressure.
10:11Obviously when you're playing on the wicket, you kind of have an idea of what kind of total you're looking to make on that wicket
10:17and then you add 15-20 runs to give that extra cushion to the bowlers
10:20and that's what I think of when I'm batting.
10:24Shubman, you're barely five years into your India career.
10:27You mentioned this is your second big ICC final
10:30and you rightly answered the question right now about how winning in 2024 will give the team confidence.
10:36But perhaps for the average Indian fan,
10:38the memories of the last World Cup, 50 over format, you were there.
10:42Now you're vice-captain.
10:43Have you seen something as a senior player now because you are a senior player
10:48given your success in the one-day format and now vice-captain.
10:50Have you seen something in that dressing room right now
10:53that you think tomorrow is going to be a good day?
10:56Yes, definitely.
10:59I think the similarities between the last World Cup and the one in 2023,
11:03obviously we lost the final there,
11:06but when we talk about a good team environment or culture,
11:12everyone motivates each other.
11:15I'm talking about my team.
11:18We all motivate each other, push each other.
11:22If someone is doing well, how can he do better?
11:25We talk about that.
11:27And whenever a team is under pressure,
11:30we don't point out one person.
11:33As a team, we collectively talk about how we can do better.
11:37If there is pressure on him,
11:39how can we help that person as a team to reduce the pressure on him.
11:43So I think all these things are not seen in the match.
11:46Performance is seen in the match, batting is seen, bowling is seen.
11:49But all these things are just as important as 100 or 5 wickets or 4 wickets.
11:56So our team environment or culture plays a big role in our success.
12:04Shubman, you just talked about staying in the zone and finding that zone.
12:07Over the years, you've never come out of the nets.
12:10Even today you were batting, yesterday you were batting.
12:12So could you just talk about your training sessions
12:14and what triggers that point where you find that zone?
12:17And do you continue batting because you don't want to leave that zone?
12:20Because generally, on pre-match days or before big exams,
12:23you don't revise much, you take it easy.
12:25But you never take it easy.
12:27So what is it about you finding that zone and never letting it go then?
12:31Whenever I'm batting in the nets,
12:34I feel for me, it's about me trying to play as close to
12:39as how I would play in the match.
12:41And that is the zone for me.
12:43You know, sometimes we bat in the nets
12:45and we aren't really thinking about the situation,
12:47we just want to bat well.
12:49But more often than not, in an important match,
12:53there might be a chance that you're not hitting the ball well.
12:56How would I want to score runs then?
12:59If it's hard for me to hit boundaries,
13:03then how would I take those singles
13:05and put the pressure off of me in a power play?
13:08So these are the things that I try to do in the nets.
13:10And I think it's easy to hit boundaries,
13:13it's easy to hit sixes,
13:15but doing these small things are, I think, more difficult.
13:17And that's why it requires a lot of repetitions for me.
13:22And I think that's what helps me in the match to stay in my zone.
13:27Shubman, the weather has changed from yesterday till now.
13:31And now that you have seen the pitch,
13:33we believe that it is the same pitch which was used for India-Pakistan,
13:37but yet it has been two weeks.
13:39So taking the weather into the mind and the pitch conditions,
13:42can you tell us what the team is thinking about?
13:46Sir, I don't think the wicket is going to behave any differently.
13:50We haven't really seen a 300 score here as yet.
13:55And I think irrespective of the weather,
13:57the wicket is going to be similar to what we have been playing on.
14:00And I think we as a team have got a good idea
14:05of how to play on those kind of wickets
14:07and how to bowl on those kind of a wicket.
14:10Shubman, there is a lot of speculation in the media
14:12that Rohit Sharma might leave cricket after tomorrow's match.
14:17Has there been any discussion like this in the dressing room?
14:22No, sir. All the discussions so far have been about winning the match,
14:25winning the Champions League.
14:27And I haven't spoken to the team about this decision.
14:34And I don't think Rohit bhai is thinking much about it right now.
14:38Once tomorrow's match is over,
14:41I think we will take that decision.
14:43And there is no discussion about this in the other team.
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