India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill has set his sights on the 50-overs World Cup next year to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The Indian team has won a succession of ICC trophies in the last two years. They have won the T20 World Cup twice in 2024 and 2026, and last year they also won the Champions Trophy.
With a little bit of luck, the Indian men’s team could have won their fourth ICC trophy too but in 2023, despite being overwhelming favourites, they were stunned by Australia in the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendera Modi Stadium.
Rohit Sharma’s men had gone into the contest undefeated, having earlier also dispatched Australia in the group stage, but they came a cropper with their batting, and Travis Head hit a fiery ton to do the rest.
Speaking at a BCCI awards in New Delhi that felicitated India’s various ICC-trophy winning teams in recent times, 26-year-old Gill said in light of India’s loss in the 2023 edition, it’s all the more important that his side ticks off this 50-overs box. India have not won the 50-overs trophy since 2011.
It’s a good thing that the 2027 World Cup is on Gill’s mind
“That is the ultimate goal [winning the trophy next year]. We felt like we were so close last time when we were here in [the final] in India. To be able to get another crack at it in South Africa, it’s going to be a great opportunity for us,” he said.
“Winning a World Cup in any format for the country is the ultimate goal. So obviously, that is something that sometimes runs in my mind,” he added.
Gill wasn’t part of India’s recent T20 World Cup win. Months before the tournament, he had been dropped from the team in light of his poor run with the bat.
Gill is yet to win an ICC trophy as a captain and he should look no further than Suryakumar Yadav for inspiration. Even though Surya didn’t have a great tournament as a batsman, as a leader he was spot on. The way he used Jasprit Bumrah in the last three matches of the event went a long way towards India defending their title successfully.
