Champions Trophy: Stage set for Gill, Ravindra to steal the limelight

A match-winning innings for either of them, in their first ICC Champions Trophy summit clash on Sunday, could take their careers to an unparalleled high

Dubai: When India and New Zealand faced off in a Champions Trophy final for the first time in 2000, Shubman Gill and Rachin Ravindra were just about learning to crawl. It was that far ago. But with the passing of time, they have developed into the finest young batters in the world — now 25, they are in their prime and what better way to prove that than by winning an ICC trophy.

Shubman Gill in action during the ongoing Champions Trophy in Dubai. (AFP)

A match-winning innings for either of them, in their first ICC Champions Trophy summit clash on Sunday, could take their careers, already on a bull run, to an unparalleled high.

It’s funny how their success stories have run parallel to each other. Born two months from each other – Gill in Fazalka, Punjab and Rachin in Wellington - both took their early batting lessons from their cricket-obsessed fathers.

They played for their respective countries in the same U19 World Cup in 2018. While Gill scored a few more runs, both impressed with a hundred each in the tournament. It didn’t take long for the national selectors to blood them. With Gill, it took only a year. Rachin needed a couple of years more.

Batting is what catches the eye. With both of them, the selectors could say, just watching a collage of their strokes, that they were different. Gill shines through with his backfoot game. Rachin is a left-hander who has extra time when he bats, that invaluable gift which distinguishes the best from the rest.

The two of them bat a spot ahead of their respective idols and their team’s batting pillars - Virat Kohli for India and Kane Williamson for New Zealand. Against Pakistan, the Gill-Kohli batting symphony was a treat to watch, until it lasted. In New Zealand’s semi-final against South Africa, it was the Rachin-Williamson partnership that took total control of the match.

“Rachin is an incredibly special talent,” Williamson said after the semi-final. “It’s always great to bat with him. He goes out and he puts the team first and he plays with that freedom. When we were out there batting together, there were moments where there were some good spells and it was a little bit challenging. We tried to feed off each other and keep each other focused on the job. He’s so gifted, really, really confident, clear in what he’s trying to do. We’ve seen in big tournaments where he has stood up and shone.”

All his 5 ODI hundreds have come in world events – 3 in the 2023 World Cup and 2 in the current event. “Rachin has shown his class. We are lucky to have him. He’s one of those batters who seems to be able to score a run-a-ball without trying that hard,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said on Friday. “I know he’s really looking forward to what’s coming up on Sunday.”

Future stars

Rachin could prove to be a key player for New Zealand to counter India’s spin threat. Particularly, with India having a couple of left-arm finger spinners in their line-up. Rachin’s early dismissal in the league match against India denied the Kiwis of the batting control they were after in the middle overs. Rachin, being an excellent player of spin, could have provided that.

Gill would have tracked Rachin’s progress. Peer group competition always exists, particularly when both are seen as the game’s next batting greats.

Gill came to the tournament after a prolific run in the ODI series against England. Here too, he began with a hundred against Bangladesh. But his last two innings have produced low scores. He would know the importance of scoring when the world is tuned in and what better game to do that in than a final.

For Gill, New Zealand may not have the big-name spinners but they are skillful bowlers who know how to get the job done. But since there is no one that they extensively use in the Powerplay, Gill will have a start over them. If Gill could get his timing right against the Kiwi quicks, he could take himself and the team off to a flyer in the final. Having the aggressive Rohit Sharma as opening partner makes his task a touch easier too.

The point of difference between Kiwi quicks and the Indians is that a lot of them come with a higher release point. This early battle between Gill-Rohit and New Zealand fast bowlers could come down to the nature of the Dubai pitch – the India-NZ league match offered some seam and swing assistance in the first innings and took spin in the second. Having been tricked by Matt Henry’s incoming delivery in the last match, Gill would want to make amends.

“Shubman can adapt to the situation so well. His game is such that he can be good with rotating the strike to take the game deep and play the attacking way, if required. With the balanced approach he has, he is brilliant,” said Sitanshu Kotak, Indian batting coach. “From the time I started coaching India A in 2019, I saw Shubman play four series before he started playing for India. It’s great to see him from then to where he is now.”

Now the vice-captain, Gill has freshly inked a lucrative bat sponsorship deal and sports the same sticker on his willow as Kohli. Like with strikers in football, batters are the poster boys. It’s a matter of striking when the iron is hot.