The National Times - 'Classy' Gill key for Champions Trophy, says India captain

Tournament favourites India begin their campaign against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday fresh from a 3-0 ODI sweep of England at home.

India then play arch-rivals Pakistan in a Sunday blockbuster.

Vice-captain Gill was the player of the series against England with 259 runs including one century and two half-tons to return to form after a lean Test series in Australia.

"Gill is a very classy player, there was never a doubt about his ability in this squad," Rohit said of his deputy.

"We tend to mix formats and I don't think that's the right way to judge any player. With Gill, we know the numbers are crazy, he has been superb for us in the last three-four years."

He added, "Obviously there is a reason that he has been elevated to be the vice-captain of the team as well, hopefully he has a great tournament and it eventually will help us achieve the things that we are looking to achieve."

Focus will be on Rohit, who opens the batting with Gill, and star batsman Virat Kohli with the future of the two stalwarts being the talking point ahead of the 50-over tournament.

Both Rohit and Kohli had a poor run with the bat in India's 3-1 Test defeat in Australia but came good in the England ODIs.

The 37-year-old Rohit hit 119 in the second match and Kohli (36), who comes to bat at number three, scored 52 in the third to answer critics.

Rohit said India's top-order has enough experience to post big totals.

"The key to have success in this format, your top three-four-five batsmen need to get that big score for you to post a big score eventually," said Rohit.

"So I think our top four batters are quite experienced and we know that once they are set, once they are in, they like to get those big runs."

- Shami and Kuldeep beyond numbers -

The return of pace bowler Mohammed Shami has boosted the morale of the team, especially in the absence of ace quick Jasprit Bumrah, who is out with a back injury.

Shami, 34, returned to international cricket in the England white-ball series after more than a year due to a heel injury and claimed five wickets in two T20 and two ODI matches.

"All we wanted with Shami was to get back wearing the Indian colours more than anything else," said Rohit.

"Whether he gets wickets or not, that was completely immaterial for us at that point. When you talk about a bowler like Shami who has done the job over the years so many times for us...it's just about getting back to their rhythm."

Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav also made a comeback from his hernia surgery in the recent ODIs and adds to the spin-heavy bowling attack and Rohit said he "looks confident".

"The two games that he played, the numbers will not show and with certain players you don't have to look at numbers so much," Rohit said of the left-arm wrist spinner.

"And if these two guys are in form, the team looks very, very good," he added.

India will play all their matches in Dubai after refusing to visit hosts Pakistan over long-standing political tensions and Rohit said the key to perform at the Dubai stadium will be to assess the pitch "as quickly as possible".

P.Barry--TNT