- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 28 Feb 2025 10:28 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs NZ ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India's vice-captain Shubman Gill is all set to make his debut in ODI captaincy during the last group stage match against New Zealand on Sunday as the team management is planning to give regular skipper Rohit Sharma the much-needed rest from the dead rubber, according to the Indian Express. Rohit had sustained a hamstring injury while trying to stop a ball during the high-octane clash against arch-rivals Pakistan last week. He was then struggling and also left the ground after the 26th over.
Gill, who is the team's vice-captain rose to the occasion and was seen leading the team from the front for a while. Rohit did eventually come back to the ground after some time but wasn't at his absolute best. Rohit Sharma's fitness concerns became quite evident when he didn't bat during the team's practice session on Wednesday.
As per several reports, Rohit was the only batter to not have batted during the training session. He also didn't face any throwdowns and was seen getting involved in a long discussion with head coach Gautam Gambhir. But he did participate in a little sprint. It should be noted here that his injury is not that serious, which might hamper their campaign in the mega-event but the team management has taken a precautionary measure to give him some rest from the clash against New Zealand.
The upcoming clash against New Zealand has become a dead rubber for both teams as they have qualified for the semifinals. Their only aim is to finish as the table toppers. This is one of the reasons why the team management wants to give rest to Rohit as there is just a one-day gap between their last group stage match and the first semifinal, which will be held on Tuesday.
It doesn't matter where the Rohit Sharma-led side finishes in the points table, they would be playing in the first semi-final in Dubai as the second semi-final would be held in Pakistan and they won't be going there. India still doesn't know who they will face during the semifinal as three teams- Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa are still in contention for qualifying for the semis. All eyes would be on the upcoming clash between Australia and Afghanistan.
Who will replace Rohit Sharma?
If Rohit Sharma is seriously injured or the team management does decide to give him rest and considering the semifinal, he might be replaced either by Rishabh Pant or Wahington Sundar in the playing XI. Both these batters were seen practicing for a long during the training session. It should be noted here that the Men in Blue doesn't have a backup opener in their team. A last-minute change was made when they replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal with spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Although, they do have KL Rahul in the side making him play as another opener on Sunday would disturb the entire batting lineup since he is now quite comfortable as a middle-order batter.
Moreover, Pant does have the experience of playing as an opener in white-ball formats and just like Rohit he too can bat aggressively during the powerplay.
Shubman Gill's captaincy record
Shubman Gill's captaincy skills came to light when he became the skipper of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 and then led the young Indian team from the front during the five-match T20I series, which they won by 4-1. A lot of senior players were given a rest from that series as it was held directly after the 2024 T20 World Cup. But his potential of becoming the next ODI skipper was certain when he became the team's vice-captain for the three-match ODI series against England and the ongoing mega-event. Rohit Sharma saw Gill's sublime form in this format, which also helped him become the No.1 ODI batter.
Gill, who is having a dream run in this tournament as he had scored a match-winning hundred against Bangladesh during their tournament opener and then scored 46 against arch-rivals Pakistan, was seen attending a private practice session on Thursday to improve his skills.