“There’ll be a slight adjustment” - Former batter on the brand of ODI cricket Shubman Gill-led India will play in Australia

Former India batter Robin Uthappa said that he’s keen to witness the brand of cricket under new ODI captain Shubman Gill in the upcoming three-match series in Australia. The cricketer-turned-commentator predicts there’ll be a slight adjustment with former skipper Rohit Sharma set to play solely as a player.

Notably, Rohit went all guns blazing ever as an opener ever since the 2023 ODI World Cup. It remains to be seen whether India will continue to play aggressive cricket under Gill.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Robin Uthappa said:

“It will be interesting to see what kind of approach he takes to ODI cricket right now. What are the norms or standards that Shubman Gill sets for the ODI side. What brand of cricket do they wanna play, and I think there’ll be a slight adjustment there, especially with Rohit at the top with Shubman."

"It also gives Shubman to kind of get into that space and kind of find himself, as far as the captain is concerned of this format as well. So, pretty interesting to see, I am looking forward to that Australia series,” he added.

“I think he understands” – Robin Uthappa on Rohit Sharma’s new role after Shubman Gill takes over in ODIs

With Shubman Gill set to take charge as the new ODI captain, Robin Uthappa believes that Rohit Sharma would gracefully accept the decision regarding the change in leadership. The 39-year-old further urged the senior batter to maximize his role with the bat, given that he only plays in the 50-over format like Virat Kohli.

The 2007 T20 World Cup winner said in the same video:

“Gracefully, and I think he understands. I think the conversation perhaps if the conversations had with him, I don’t think it would have happened without that… Go back to focusing on making sure he performs his role to the best of his ability and maximize his role because right now he also has the dearth of match practice for that matter, right?”

Uthappa further asked Rohit to continue his aggressive batting but advised him to take the foot off the accelerator when required, unlike what he did in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia. He concluded:

“I want him to be able to use the ebb and flow [take pedal off the accelerator] because the value of Rohit Sharma in the course of an ODI game is so immense that you don’t want to lose him, especially when the wickets are falling around him.”

“His effectiveness and his impact during the course of a game, especially a One Day game, the guy can turn a One Day game on its head, right? And I don’t think he’s a role player. I think he’s a match-winner… I don’t want him to play the anchor’s role,” he added.

Rohit Sharma scored 47 runs off 31 balls in the final against Australia. India lost the match by six wickets. The right-hander, however, emerged as one of the leading run-scorers in the tournament. He scored 597 runs in 11 innings, including a ton and three half-centuries. Since then, he has amassed 459 runs in 11 ODIs at an average of 41.73 with the help of one century and three fifties.