"World Cup final is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" - Yuvraj Singh urges Shubman Gill to give it his all against Australia
Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who has worked closely with star opener Shubman Gill in the past, is impressed with the way the youngster has performed in the World Cup so far.
Gill missed the first two matches of the tournament as he was suffering from dengue. He also had to go off the field retired hurt on 79 in the semifinal, before coming back and ending his innings on 80*.
Speaking to Sports Tak ahead of India vs Australia final, Yuvraj Singh talked at length about Gill's opportunity of playing in a World Cup final.
"Shubman has had his health challenges, but despite that, his performances have been outstanding," Yuvraj said. "I don't know whether he had cramps or a hamstring niggle in the last game. But I feel he should play anyhow in the final. Just give it your all because a chance to play in the World Cup final doesn't come every day. It's probably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Yuvraj Singh is also hopeful that Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma will give India another brisk start.
"India are playing dominant cricket and teams are fearing to face them," he said. "When Rohit and Shubman get off to a flying start, we end up scoring 350-400 runs. The only situation I feel where India might feel the pressure is if they lose their top three early. The middle order has come in with a platform set so far, but how will they handle the situation of early wickets fall is something which will be interesting to see."
Yuvraj Singh on Rohit Sharma's World Cup
Yuvraj Singh heaped praise on Rohit Sharma for the way he has led by example both with the bat and in the field. He spoke about how calm Rohit has been under pressure, which he feels is one of the reasons why India have done so well in the tournament.
"Rohit Sharma is a team player," Yuvraj said. "I feel one of the main reasons why India have been so successful has been his captaincy under pressure. Even in the semifinal against New Zealand, he held back his strike bowlers and brought them into the attack only when the partnership began to look threatening. He has captained really well so far."
India will go unbeaten all the way to the 2023 World Cup title if they manage to beat Australia in what promises to be a riveting final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.