India vice-captain Shubman Gill has allayed fears around Virat Kohli’s fitness, saying the batting stalwart is fine and should be fit for the second One-Day International against England in Cuttack on Sunday. Kohli, 36, was forced to miss the ODI series opener in Nagpur due to swelling in his right knee, leaving the team in a spot of bother as it went into the final dress rehearsal for the ICC Champions Trophy, beginning in Pakistan and Dubai on February 19.
Gill, who scored a clinical 87 in India’s four-wicket victory against England in Nagpur, told Disney-Hotstar: “It’s nothing serious. He (Kohli) was fine during yesterday’s (Wednesday) practice, but he woke up with some swelling in his knee this morning (Thursday). He’ll definitely be back for the second ODI.” The top-order batter said he did not get carried away while approaching his century, adding that he would have played the shot, which ultimately got him, even if he was in his 60s.
Jos Buttler took a diving catch at mid-on off Saqib Mahmood’s bowling as Gill, trying to pace the innings, mis-timed a shot to leave India at 235/6.
“No, I wasn’t thinking about my century. I was focused on the field placements and played my shots accordingly. I wanted to dominate the bowler, and I would have played the same shot even if I was in my 60s,” Gill said.
Gill, who usually opens the innings in ODIs, said he had no problem coming in at No.3 in the series against England.
“I play at No. 3 in Tests, so it wasn’t a big adjustment. It’s always a challenge at that position because you have to adapt to the game situation. If the team loses quick wickets, you need to play sensibly. If the team starts well, you need to carry the momentum. My approach was simple — play according to the situation.” On young Indian players frequently choosing the sweep and reverse sweep shots against spinners, Gill said it was not a team strategy.
“It’s an individual choice, not a team strategy. Every batsman has a plan to target specific areas. Many players are practicing sweeps and reverse sweeps in the nets to have more options while batting.” On his 94-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (59) for the third wicket, Gill said once they had sized up the field, scoring runs became easy.
“We lost two early wickets, but the plan was to play according to the field and not hold back. After a few overs, the line and lengths became predictable, which helped us score faster.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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