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'Who are we to call it over-hyped or under-hyped? Shubman Gill counters Harbhajan's India vs Pakistan theory
Shubman Gill countered Harbhajan Singh's theory on India versus Pakistan matches, saying the contest is enjoyed by several people in the world.
Shubman Gill believes the contest between India and Pakistan has its own history, and hence, there is no reason for anyone to call it " overhyped” or “underhyped.” However, he also said that India versus Pakistan is not the “biggest” game in any competition, as the final has to be the standout fixture of any tournament.
On Sunday, India and Pakistan will square off in the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium. Recently, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh called the match “overhyped” because of the quality of both teams.
Harbhajan Singh said that India have raced ahead in terms of quality as compared to the neighbours. Hence, there is nothing exciting left in the contest.
“India-Pakistan has its own history. It is an exciting contest every time both teams play. If so many people get happiness by watching this rivalry, who are we to call it over-hyped or under-hyped? We go to play cricket and we try to make our team win,” Shubman Gill told reporters at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“It is a big match, but I think the biggest match would be the finals that any team plays. We have been playing some good ODI cricket. Pakistan have lost some of the matches they have played recently. By no means will we think of them as a lesser side,” he added.
‘Definitely one of my most satisfying innings’
Shubman Gill recently scored 101 not out against Bangladesh to steer India home by six wickets in Dubai. Gill perfectly changed gears, registering his slowest ODI century.
The right-hander played according to the situation, and this was the true highlight of his knock. Gill rated this knock “one of the most satisfying” innings he has ever played.
“Definitely one of the most satisfying innings that I have ever played. Champions Trophy format is such, there is little margin of error. If you lose even one match, there is a lot of pressure and the rest of the games become must-win. There was a brief period in the match against Bangladesh, where there was little pressure on us as a batting group. The target was not that so we could have taken a little more time. We just tried to rotate the strike and take fewer risks,” said Gill.
Shubman Gill also highlighted the stark difference between the approach of his and captain Rohit Sharma. He also mentioned how Rohit's attacking gameplay has made his own game better.
“I think the way we play the game in the powerplay is quite different. Rohit bhai likes to play more aerial shots and try to hit those big sixes. I like to play grounded shots and pierce those gaps. If I see the bowler under the pressure, then I look to take my chances and go over the circle. That is the hallmark of us as a pair, we score boundaries with different shots and the bowlers really have to think which areas to target for us. The areas which we target are different to each other,” said Gill.
“It doesn't affect me as such. Rohit bhai has his own style, if anything it helps in getting into my own groove and go about things. It is a delight to watch from the non-striker's end. We have had few good partnerships over the past few years. I like to bat with him all the time,” he added.
