The 2026 BCCI Naman Awards turned into an entertaining evening when India’s ODI captain Shubman Gill shared some light-hearted moments while also speaking about his big dream for Indian cricket.
During a special interaction hosted by commentator Harsha Bhogle, Shubman Gill was joined on stage by India women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. The conversation included fun questions about match situations, leadership and what it means to represent India.
At one point, Harsha Bhogle asked the captains to name the players they would trust the most in the final overs of a match, one to bowl and one to bat. Shubman Gill’s answer quickly drew laughter from the audience.
For the bowler, he chose fast bowler Arshdeep Singh but couldn’t resist making a playful remark about his tendency to bowl wides, especially recalling moments from the recent T20 World Cup semi-final against England. Shubman Gill joked that Arshdeep is a great bowler but sometimes ends up bowling so many wides that the one over becomes 2 over. Still, he said Arshdeep would be his choice to bowl the final overs.
For batting, Shubman Gill said he would trust Rohit Sharma, the former Indian captain, if he was at the crease during such a crucial moment.
Before Shubman Gill answered, the other two captains also shared their choices. Suryakumar Yadav picked Jasprit Bumrah to bowl and Hardik Pandya to bat in T20 internationals, while Harmanpreet Kaur selected Deepti Sharma as the bowler and Smriti Mandhana as the batter for women’s matches.
The captains were also asked about what representing India means to them. Shubman Gill described playing for the country as a dream come true and said that every time a player steps onto the field wearing the national jersey, it is a moment of gratitude and pride. According to him, the ultimate goal for any cricketer is to help India win matches and make the country proud.
The evening was even more special for Shubman Gill as he received the Men’s Cricketer of the Year award for 2025. The young star had an outstanding year, finishing as the highest run-scorer in international men’s cricket with 1,764 runs in 42 innings across formats.
While Shubman Gill has been enjoying a short break during the ongoing T20 World Cup, he will soon return to action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, where he will lead Gujarat Titans.
Apart from the fun moments, Shubman Gill also spoke seriously about the future of India’s ODI team. He admitted that the biggest target for the team is to win the 2027 ODI World Cup.
India had come very close to lifting the trophy in the 2023 edition, winning 10 matches in a row before losing to Australia in the final held in India. Shubman Gill said that missing out on the title after coming so close was disappointing but it has also motivated the team even more.
Looking ahead to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Shubman Gill believes it will be another great opportunity for India to aim for the trophy. According to him, winning a World Cup for the country, in any format, remains the ultimate dream for every Indian cricketer.
It will be really great if India wins the 2027 World Cup!
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