New Delhi, 9 Oct

India's newly-appointed ODI skipper Shubman Gill on Thursday said senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain a part of the team's 2027 World Cup plans as their skill levels and voluminous experience cannot be ignored.

Gill, who replaced a very successful Rohit as leader of the ODI pack, also said that he would like to create friendships like his illustrious predecessor did during his nearly four-year stint. The 26-year-old Gill is already leading the Indian Test side.

Asked if he feels Rohit and Kohli are in the scheme of things for the 2027 World Cup, Gill wasn't as cagey as chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, who was non-committal on the issue during a recent press conference.

"Of course. The experience that they (Rohit and Kohli) both have, and the number of matches that they have won for India. There are very few players who have won so many matches for India," Gill said while fielding several queries on his elevation.

"There are very few players in the world who have so much skill, quality and experience that they have. So, in that sense, I'm very happy," the young skipper said.

While Rohit is 38 now, Kohli is 36. Both have retired from Tests and T20 Internationals, making their India appearances rare. The duo will next be seen during a three-match ODI tour of Australia from 19 to 25 October.

Gill said he wants to imbibe the calmness and camaraderie that Rohit brought to the dressing room during his stint.

"There are so many qualities that I want to inherit from Rohit Bhai. One is the calmness that he possesses, and the kind of friendships that he has created among the group is something that I aspire to," he said.

While Agarkar announced his appointment after India won the first Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad, Gill confirmed that he had been informed of the promotion a few days before that.

"I'm very excited to lead my country in that format. And yes, the last few months have been very exciting for me. But I'm really looking forward to what the future has," he said.

"I want to stay as much as possible in the present and don't really want to look back on what I've been able to achieve or what we as a team have been able to achieve.

"Just want to look forward and win everything that we have in the upcoming months."

Managing the workload of 3 formats

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For someone who is being looked at as the next all-format captain, Gill admitted that at times, there is mental fatigue that he deals with.

"Physically, most of the time I feel fine. I think more than physical, sometimes there is mental fatigue. Because when you are constantly playing, there are certain expectations that I have of myself.

"And to be able to keep up with my own expectations sometimes becomes a challenge," said the batter who has already played 121 international games across three formats.

"I want to play all the formats and want to succeed in all the formats for the country. And win ICC titles. So if I want to do that, then this (playing all three formats) is the challenge that I have to go through," he added.

Me Gauti bhai and I want to make players secure

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Gautam Gambhir's entry as head coach has coincided with Gill's ascension as the national team leader. The skipper believes that he and the head coach are on the same page when it comes to picking a core group of 15-18 players and rotating them.

"Our relationship is really good," Gill stressed.

"It's very simple, actually. We always try to have conversations around how we can make the players feel more secure and what kind of combinations we can play.

"We sort of want to look at 15 or 18-member squads where we are constantly picking players from that bunch and from that squad," he said.

A key discussion between them is on the need to have a group of fast bowlers.

"We have a pool of good fast bowlers. And we want to be able to keep recruiting them so that they get enough opportunities whenever we tour South Africa, Australia or New Zealand."

When asked what kind of captain he perceived himself to be — whether an instinctive one or a meticulous planner — he had a wry smile.

"Sir, I guess this question should be better answered by my teammates," he quipped.