IND vs AUS: "When I’m under pressure, my best game comes out"- Shubman Gill's message to Australia ahead of Perth ODI

Shubman Gill was recently appointed as ODI captain of Indian Cricket Team.

Indian Cricket Team star Shubman Gill is all set to commence a new journey in his ODI career with the three-match ODI series against Australian Cricket Team down under. He will be leading the side for the first time in 50-over format after being recently appointed as the new captain, and he is ready to ace the challenge, saying that responsibility brings the best out of him.

Shubman Gill, who is often called as the future of Indian cricket, has been at his best whenever he has got the opportunity to lead the team. His first assignment as the Indian captain came during the India’s tour of Zimbabwe 2024, he finished as the leading run-scorer in the five-match T20I series with 170 runs, hammering two fifties across five innings.

After that, when he was appointed as the test captain, he came up with his best in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. During the five-match test series against England, Gill shattered many batting records, slamming 754 runs in 10 innings with four centuries. For his impeccable batting performance, he was adjudged Player of the Series.

When I’m under that kind of pressure, my best game comes out: Shubman Gill

Speaking during the pre-match press conference of the first ODI between India and Australia in Perth, Gill stated that he enjoys responsibilities, as being under pressure gets the best out of him.

“I wouldn’t say it just happens, but I really like it when more responsibility comes onto me. I think when I’m under that kind of pressure, my best game comes out, and I actually enjoy that responsibility. However, when I go out to bat, I believe I make my best decisions when I think purely as a batsman,” he said.

“I don’t want to overthink about being the captain and making decisions as a captain, especially while batting. I feel when you start thinking like that, you end up putting more pressure on yourself,” he added.

Furthermore, the right-handed batsman also clarified that he always thinks like a batter and not a captain when he is out on the field scoring runs.

“As a batsman, whenever I go in, I focus on what the team needs the most at that moment and try to make decisions the way Shubman Gill, the batsman, would make them – rather than thinking ‘I have to finish the match’ or ‘I have to score all the runs. When you start thinking like that you take extra pressure, and sometimes that freedom you have as a batsman – to take those extra risks, that X-factor – you lose it a bit,” he added.

Meanwhile, Gill has been in a wonderful form in the 50-over format since the start of 2025, smacking 447 runs in eight games at a stunning average of 63.85, hammering two centuries and an equal number of half-centuries in the process.

Notably, during the previous tour of Australia in 2020, India lost the ODI series 2-1. Hence, Gill have a challenging task to lead the team to victory against the Aussies, who are known for their supremacy at home. The first ODI between Australia and India will be played on Sunday, October 19 at Perth Cricket Stadium in Perth.

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