No discussion on Rohit and Kohli's retirement: Shubman Gill

Dubai: Speculation is rife on the ODI future of skipper Rohit Sharma and senior batter Virat Kohli after the Champions Trophy but vice- captain Shubman Gill on Saturday said the Indian dressing room is not discussing retirement of the two modern-day greats.

Kohli and Rohit are still batting strong in the format but it is being discussed in cricketing circles that if India wins the ICC showpiece, both the batters or at least one can call time on his career.

"There is no talk about retirement in the dressing room, now," Gill said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand here on Sunday.

Big match pressure

Gill conceded that there is “big match pressure” on India ahead of the title clash, but was confident of winning the coveted 50-over title that eluded the team during the 2023 World Cup.

"The big-match pressure is always there. The last time (2023) we couldn't do it, but we will try to do it this time. In a big match, the team that takes the pressure out of the equation has a better chance of winning," he said.

Gill cited the example of some of the best teams from the history of cricket to underline his argument.

"This is the reason why we talk about big teams of previous years including West Indies and Australia.

"Those teams played their best cricket in knockouts and used to take out pressure from the big-match equation. Easier said than done, but good teams play their best cricket under pressure," he added.

Gill feels privileged to be a part of "best batting line-up" but said the depth in their order allows the top three to express themselves freely.

"This is the best batting line up I am part of. Rohit is one of the best openers (in the world) and Virat, we need not tell about him. But our team has depth in batting and that allows the top order to bat with a bit more freedom," Gill, India's most prolific 50-over batter in the last two years, said.

The elegant opener said playing a match here earlier against New Zealand does not give them any extra advantage.

However, he conceded that the team will feel motivated after winning all their previous four matches at the DICS.

"We have played 4 matches here and we have done really well. But I think the last time we played NZ, despite losing three wickets early, we played a good match and won comfortably. So I don't think there is any added discussion.

"Obviously, we can talk about someone in the top 3-5 firing that would give us a better chance to chase a big total or put up a big total." Gill said the nature of the Dubai track will come up for discussion later.

"Obviously, the kind of wicket that we will play on would be the discussion. We have not seen a 300-plus total here. The wickets that we are playing on are quite different from the wickets that were being used in Pakistan," he added.

India ended a long barren run in ICC tournaments when they won the T20 World Cup last year, and Gill said the triumph has freed up the team a bit.

"Once you get one title, it gives you the momentum. You are not very desperate about getting the title. It's not good when desperation kicks in.” However Gill said the hunger of the team to win more titles has not been satiated.

"But winning the title in 2024 doesn't mean that we are less hungry, but I think it kind of gives us more balance that we have won an ICC title and we will try to do our best to win this one," he noted.