Shubman Gill leads from the front as India’s ODI World Cup 2027 schedule begins

India captain Shubman Gill, right, KL Rahul celebrates victory (AP Photo) Dharamshala: It is not easy to unsettle Shubman Gill when he is batting in ODI cricket. The moment he steps to bat, he slides into the zone where he takes control of the inning. The runs on the board are just a by-product of the process the Indian skipper has mastered in the 62 matches he has played. With an unbeaten 66-ball 84 to guide India past the 195-run target by seven wickets with 13 balls to spare in the first ODI against Afghanistan at the foothills of the mighty Dhauladhar range here, Gill’s ascent to the top of the ODI batting gained another momentum. As India set out to chase debutant pacer Gurnoor Brar, who impressed with figures of 3/27 in the rain-shortened match, Gill seemed the least bothered about proving the selectors wrong about his last-minute ax before the T20 World Cup triumph earlier in the year. In a faultless knock, he neither struggled to match Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s thrilling 51-ball 102 nor compete with Ishan Kishan’s flamboyant 22-ball 34 in a 43-ball, 70-run partnership for the second wicket. Instead, Gill produced his excellent play to calmly anchor India behind the target. He played the opening and closing matches at night. Gill knows he has a bigger job than just restoring his T20 credentials. He captained the ODI team last October in controversial circumstances to stabilize the team ahead of the next ODI World Cup in South Africa, with two big names in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fighting a nasty battle to prove their relevance. The first thing he needs to do is calm a jittery dressing room and lead from the front with the bat. Gill didn’t give his usual war cry when KL Rahul hit the winning runs. They usually celebrate milestones and victories with a roar. Instead, he calmly removed his helmet and gloves and walked back to the locker room. At first glance, Afghan bowling can be tricky. But chasing 195 under 8 runs on a real pitch in today’s cricket shouldn’t be a problem. Gill made sure there was none, even as Rohit and Shreyas Iyer knocked nonchalantly. With every customary wrist cover the spinners came down and the medium pacers pulled hard, Gill’s authoritative presence grew in the middle. He worked impeccably to make things easy for his partners at the other end by pulling out Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan trump, while Rahul casually finished proceedings with an unbeaten 39 off 19 to assert his command over the No.5 spot. This series is the start of India’s preparations for the World Cup, which is still 15 months away. Gill played with his combinations, handing debuts to Brar and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey. Throughout the day, Gill showed that he was firmly in the lead, although Gurbaz eased up in the first innings of the match.