‘We talked on the net about…’: Shubman Gill opens up on 2027 World Cup plan with Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill (PTI Photo) India captain Shubman Gill has thrown his weight behind the future of One-day Internationals, insisting the 50-over format should remain intact while suggesting the return of triangular or quadrangular series to make bilateral cricket more engaging.On the eve of the first ODI against England at Edgbaston, Gill rejected suggestions to reduce the format to 40 overs and said the 50-over World Cup remained the pinnacle of ODI cricket.“I think for me, I mean I’ve grown up a lot around 50s cricket and it’s been an integral part of my childhood whenever I think about it. When I think of the World Cup, the first thing that comes to mind is the 50s World Cup. So in that sense, for me, the most prestigious World Cup, if someone wants to win it, should be the 50s World Cup.” 40 over.”Instead of changing the format, Gill believes that more regular introduction of multi-nation tournaments would make ODI cricket more attractive to players and fans alike.“One thing is that we played a lot of Triangular Series and it was fun to watch. You know, India played in Australia, India, Australia and Sri Lanka. So I think maybe if we get a chance to play Triangular Series because two teams are playing at a different place. So, when we get a chance to play, it will be fun. So you’re not playing the same team, I mean, you’re not playing the same team, I think. we want to make this format interesting instead of having a bilateral Triangular Series, maybe Quadrangular Series, I don’t know if we’re going to do something that’s going to be interesting to play and watch.”India open the three-match ODI series looking to bounce back from a disappointing white-ball stretch where they lost 2-0 in Ireland before suffering a 4-0 defeat in the T20I series against England.Gill also congratulated the Indian women’s team after their landmark 270-run win over England in the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s.“I think it’s a very proud moment for us. Our women’s team won a historic match at Lord’s. And I think we all saw how special it is to play in that stadium. How special it is to play there and how special it is to win there. So a huge congratulations to them.”Looking further ahead, Gill revealed that he has already started planning for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa through discussions with Virat Kohli about the ideal team composition for the conditions.“We (he and Kohli) were talking (at the nets) about the combination. Which combination can be best for SA? Which players are there who may not be in the team right now but can help us in the future?“Which pitchers are there? Which all-rounders are there? Which closers are there? So we talked about all of that.”Gill also welcomed the return of Jasprit Bumrah, who rejoined the ODI squad after IPL 2026 after being rested to handle his workload.“Bumrah is getting into the setup after a while. And hopefully he had a lot of overs ahead of this one-day series.”“And hopefully this one-day series goes well for him and hopefully we win the series and finish on a high,” he added.