"I was losing time to dominate in that game" - Team India star recalls 2023 World Cup summit clash ahead of 2025 Champions Trophy final vs New Zealand
Team India opener Shubman Gill acknowledged feeling nervous in his first-ever ICC event final in the summit clash of the 2023 ODI World Cup ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy grand finale. India and New Zealand will face off for the trophy in Dubai on Sunday, March 9.
Gill has established himself as arguably India's best ODI batter over the past two years. Yet, he scored only a seven-ball four in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad as India suffered a gut-wrenching six-wicket defeat.
Reflecting on the lessons learned from that forgettable outing ahead of his second ICC final, Gill said (via ICC):
"Obviously some nerves in that match (2023 final). (I learned) a lot of things. It was my first ICC Final … I was very excited. (It felt like) I was losing time to dominate in that game. I think in big ICC knockout matches, you can give yourself a little bit more time than you think."
He continued:
"We lost (the World Cup Final) in ‘23 and then won in the T20 World Cup (in 2024). So I think we have got good momentum going with us in this tournament. It's going to be a really exciting game for us and definitely, if we are able to win this one, I think it would be a great way to end this format this year."
"It’s a very big opportunity for us and in general, in any ICC tournament or any ICC event that happens, we have a lot of responsibility, a lot of pressure from our fans. And the last two ICC tournaments that we have played, we went on to (make the Final)."
Gill began the tournament with a match-winning 101* against Bangladesh but has slowed down since, with three consecutive sub-50 scores. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old is the tenth leading run-scorer in the competition with 157 runs at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of almost 79 in four matches.
Team India on the cusp of all-time Champions Trophy record
Team India are looking to make Champions Trophy history with a win over New Zealand in the summit clash. The Men in Blue are one of only two teams, alongside Australia, with two Champions Trophy titles.
After being joint-winners with Sri Lanka in 2002, India emerged victorious in the 2013 edition in England. They missed the opportunity to win a third Champions Trophy title with a heavy defeat to Pakistan in the grand finale of the 2017 edition.
Meanwhile, a New Zealand win in the final against India will make it a three-way tie for the most Champions Trophy titles. The Kiwis defeated India way back in 2000 to win their maiden Champions Trophy. They qualified for the final in 2009 before suffering a six-wicket loss to Australia.
India and New Zealand met earlier in the 2025 Champions Trophy, with the former pulling off a 44-run win in the final Group A clash.