Shubman Gill had famously won the U-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand and six years later, he returns as the senior national captain
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India’s captain Shubman Gill celebrates after scoring a century during the second ODI match against West Indies at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Assam, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026(Photo: IANS)
Life has come full circle for Indian captain Shubman Gill who apparently has an untold love affair with New ZealandMany years ago, Gill touched down in the shores as a youngster and won the U19 Cricket World Cup in 2018 as an 18-year-old and nearly seven years later, he has returned as the senior India captain.
As a matter of fact, New Zealand is where Shubman Gill made his one-day international debut back in 2019, just a year after the U19 triumphThe Island nation has been a happy hunting ground for him and he will be looking to make this on-going tour a memorable one.
It’s his first-ever trip to New Zealand since being appointed as the Test and ODI captainShubman Gill has done considerably well in other foreign tours and he will be determined to do well here as well.
During the press conference before the 1st ODI at Auckland, Shubman Gill admitted that he has always felt good in New Zealand.
“We won the U19 World Cup hereI have very good memoriesI made my international debut here in New ZealandWhenever I come here, I feel very good,” Shubman Gill said.
The Indian captain stressed that it will be an important tour and one that will help them shape up for next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in the AfricasAll the matches leading up to the quadranniel showpiece next year are going to be very important.
Gill claimed that playing in different venues will help this young team gain valuable experience and be ready by the time the World Cup arrives.
“I think the more we play at different venues, the more experience we get, and that will help us in the World Cup,” Gill said.
He is also taking inspiration from what he saw in the five-match T20I series which India won by 3-2Gill noticed a good amount of bounce on the surfaces and feels that it will be a good challenge for both teams.
“From the T20 series, we have seen that there has been good bounce here with the new ball, which has challenged both the bowling and batting teamsSo, both teams will face good challenges, and it will be a good challenge for us tooIt is a young bowling attack, but we have all the qualities to succeed hereHopefully, we will learn and do well,” Gill added.
The 1st ODI is currently taking place at the Eden Park in Auckland and you can catch our live coverage here.
