AUCKLAND: New Zealand holds a special place for Shubman Gill. In 2018, he was part of the U-19 team that triumphed here. A year later, he made his ODI debut also on these shores. Now seven years after those two memorable ‘firsts’ in his cricketing journey, the 27-year-old is set to lead the side. From the eventful night in Mount Maunganui with the U-19 team to receiving his ODI cap from MS Dhoni in Hamilton, New Zealand will always hold a special place. Remembering these two events still brings a smile to the Indian captain’s face.“We won the U19 World Cup here. I have very good memories. I made my international debut here in New Zealand. Whenever I come here, I feel very good,” said Gill at the pre-series press conference.The stakes, however, are much higher now. He is no longer the prolific young batter from Punjab trying to establish himself in international cricket. Now, he’s the man at the helm as India sharpen their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. In 11 months, the team will compete for the ultimate prize in the 50-over format. The fixtures leading up to the tournament — beginning with the New Zealand series — offer the skipper an opportunity to find the answers India needs.“I think the more we play at different venues, the more experience we get, and that will help us in the World Cup. From the T20 series, we have seen that there has been good bounce here with the new ball, which has challenged both the bowling and batting teams. So, both teams will face good challenges, and it will be a good challenge for us too. It is a young bowling attack, but we have all the qualities to succeed here. Hopefully, we will learn and do well,” Gill said.While India’s inexperienced bowling attack faces a significant test, the batting line-up looks formidable and settled. Not much has changed in the team’s batting composition since the 2023 World Cup, and stability is expected to remain a key feature over the next 11 months.“For us, No. 5 and No. 6 are a bit flexible. Our top four are pretty much set, and we are all right-handed batters there. If we feel we need a left-hander at No. 5, we can use Axar bhai. Or, if we feel the platform has been set for KL bhai to go out and play, we will decide according to the situation at that given point. The number of overs remaining and the position we are in matter more than fixed No. 5 and No. 6 positions.Injury-prone Hardik Pandya remains the crucial missing piece. However, even in his absence, the consistency of the established top four — Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer — leaves the captain with only the No. 5 and No. 6 positions to figure out. The decision, though, is less about personnel and more about the demands of a particular match situation.“We are definitely very happy with our top order and middle order. If Hardik bhai comes in, then our No. 7 and No. 8 positions are also sorted, and we look like a much more balanced team in terms of our batting,” Gill explained.Gill echoed head coach Gautam Gambhir’s sentiments about the challenges posed by an inexperienced bowling attack, particularly in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Pandya and Prasidh Krishna. However, he sees the situation as an opportunity for the younger players to grow in confidence. Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy (for the first ODI only), are India’s options. Gill believes the squad has the ability to “defeat any team in any condition.”“I feel that any Indian team that steps onto the ground is capable of defeating any team. Young players will gain a lot of confidence if they perform here. We will also gain confidence that if, for any reason, we don’t have the team we want for the World Cup, our squad can still defeat any team in any condition. In that context, if we win the series here, it will be a big confidence booster for us,” Gill said.Even as he plans for the series and next year’s World Cup, Gill has ensured that the bigger picture does not distract him from his batting or his preparation for each fixture. The Indian captain arrived in Auckland well ahead of the series, accompanied by Brar, to begin preparations for the long tour. The focus now shifts to translating those hours in the nets into performances in the middle.The flashy youngster of 2018, with conspicuous streaks of colour in his hair, now carries the expectations of more than a billion people on his shoulders. The boy-wonder-turned-leader is focused on adding another memorable chapter to his New Zealand story.“Hopefully, when we go back after a month, we will take a lot more good memories from here.”
