Want to imbibe Rohit bhai’s calmness: Shubman Gill on taking over as ODI captain

India’s newly-appointed ODI captain Shubman Gill on Thursday said he would look to imbibe the “calmness” that his predecessor Rohit Sharma brought to the dressing room when he takes charge of the format starting with the tour of Australia later this month.

The 25-year-old Gill, who already leads the Indian Test team, will begin his ODI captaincy reign during a three-match series Down Under from October 19 to 25.

“The calmness of Rohit bhai and the friendships that he created among the group, I want to imbibe that,” Gill said when asked about his expanded role ahead of the second Test against the West Indies starting here on Friday.

Gill also sought to douse the speculation surrounding the future of Rohit and star batter Virat Kohli, both of whom are now only available in the ODI format, having retired from T20 Internationals and Tests.

While Kohli is currently in London, Rohit is at his home in Mumbai. The two will join the squad before it jets off to Australia on October 15.

“The two have won so many games for India. Very few have so much skill and experience. We need them,” Gill asserted.

Coming back to his own elevation in the ODI format, Gill said he feels honoured.

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“It was announced after the first Test against West Indies (in Ahmedabad) but I got to know about it a bit earlier. It’s an honour to lead India,” Gill said.

He also touched on his relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir, who is being called the brain behind the ongoing transition in Indian cricket.

“Our relationship is good. We strike conversations about how to make players secure. Also, we talk about preparing a pool of fast bowlers,” Gill said.