The Indian team was firm in its resolve to get better at chasing down targets in the World Cup and it is reflecting in the way the senior most batters are performing, young opener Shubman Gill said on Thursday after the hosts recorded their fourth win while chasing.
Gill said the intent within the team, in the build-up to the World Cup, was to improve their chasing record. India have flattened Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh so far to stay unbeaten.
Virat Kohli (103) scored his 48th ODI century while Gill struck 53 from 55 balls to lead India to comfortable seven-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma did not start well but with scores of 131, 86 and 48, the Indian skipper is already the top run-getter thus far in the tournament.
READ: ODI World Cup: Rohit Sharma Leads Race for Golden Bat, Virat Kohli Just Behind Him; Mitchell Santner Leads Golden Ball Race
“You can see how confident they are, the way they are scoring runs,” Gill said while talking about Rohit and Kohli.
“This is one of the things which was talked about, especially leading up to the World Cup, that we were not chasing that well, those big totals. I think it’s a great way to have that momentum with us in those big games that we’ll have moving forward,” he added.
Gill said he lost a few kilos while recovering from dengue which also kept him out of contests against Australia and Afghanistan but he expressed satisfaction on scoring his first World Cup fifty.
“Obviously it felt nice. When I was a little sick, I was feeling a bit disappointed on missing out on those opportunities, but definitely felt nice to get some game time,” he said.
“You have to be mentally willing to go out there and that’s what I was thinking when I was there. Lost a few kilos in the process but hopefully I’ll be able to gain that back,” Gill added.
Talking further about India’s two senior batters, Gill said he is learning to handle the big-game pressure from them.
“To see them, how they go about their business in the World Cup and in big games, is what I always try to learn from them,” he said.
“There’s a fine line between sometimes being too aggressive or going in the shell, especially playing big games. The way they play, the way their mindset is playing those big games in the World Cup is what I try to learn from them,” Gill added.
Gill said Rohit has been giving the team the right momentum in chases even though he missed out on a fifty today, falling for a 40-ball 48.
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“I don’t think the pitch changed much, honestly. It was a good batting wicket. The approach while chasing, Rohit has been batting exceptionally well and he’s been all guns blazing, especially while chasing. That’s giving us the right momentum,” he said.
“And then it’s easier for the batsmen who are coming in when the run rate is around four or five in chasing.” With India’s next match against New Zealand — the World Cup table-toppers — impending, Gill said the team would aim to change their record in ICC tournaments against the Kiwis.
“We haven’t discussed this much that we haven’t won against them since the ICC tournament 2003, but hopefully we will try to change that in the next match. When we bat first, we know which template to go with and we have made big scores regularly,” he said.
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