Dubai, March 8 India opener Shubman Gill is gearing up to make the most of the opportunity as he is set to play his second ICC tournament final on Sunday when Rohit Sharma-led side will take on New Zealand in the Champions Trophy summit clash.
In the ICC 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, Gill failed to score big and fell cheaply on four runs in a match which India lost by six wickets to miss out on a third tournament title.
However, Gill has moved on from the heartbreak and is more mature now. Ranked No.1 in ODI batter rankings, the vice-captain is mentally ready to handle pressure better and spend more time at the crease.
“Obviously some nerves in that match,” ICC quoted Gill as saying ahead of India’s date with New Zealand in Sunday’s decider.
“(I learned) a lot of things. It was my first ICC Final … I was very excited (It felt like) I was losing time to dominate in that game. I think in big ICC knockout matches, you can give yourself a little bit more time than you think.”
The 25-year-old labelled it "good momentum" for India heading into the final as the Men in Blue will play their fourth consecutive ICC final in a span of less than two years. India played the summit clashes in - World Test Championship (WTC), 2023 ODI World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup. Sunday's finale will be the fourth one on the list under Rohit's leadership.
“We lost (the World Cup Final) in ‘23 and then won in the T20 World Cup (in 2024). So I think we have got good momentum going with us in this tournament. It's going to be a really exciting game for us and definitely, if we are able to win this one, I think it would be a great way to end this format this year," Gill said.
“It’s a very big opportunity for us and in general, in any ICC tournament or any ICC event that happens, we have a lot of responsibility, a lot of pressure from our fans. And the last two ICC tournaments that we have played, we went on to (make the Final)," he added.
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