Asia Cup: Most important goal is to win World Cup 2023, says Indian opener Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has his eyes set on the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023 edition, which will kick off in India on October 05. The Indian opener, who is currently playingin the Asia Cup 2023 edition, says that his aim is to win the home ODI WC title, where the Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue will open their campaign on October 08, in Chennai, versus Australia. Gill will be one of the most important batters for India in the mega event, especially given how impressive he has been in 2023.

In the ongoing calendar year, Gill has a double ton, two centuries and four half-centuries in the 50-over format. In addition, he struck three hundreds in IPL 2023 and scored his maiden T20I ton earlierthis year. Moreover, he also slammed an impressive 128 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2022/23 edition during the home Tests against Australia. Thus, Gill will be confident going into his maiden World Cup and will hope for more big knocks in the games in the run-up to the WC opener.

Speaking to the official broadcasters during the Super 4 round of the Asia Cup, in Colombo, Gill saidthat his goal was to win the World Cup. The 24-year-old mentioned, "The most important goal for me as a player right now is to win World Cup 2023. I recall being young when India won the World Cup in 2011. The mindset is to swiftly read the wicket and access the positions."

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Gill added, “As a batsman, it is critical to quickly access the position and understand the speed. So the planning and play are all based on that. Mindset plays an important role as one has to switch mentally, like from an ODI mentality to a T20 one. The faster you switch, the faster your body adapts; thus, I believe being able to mentally switch is important."

The right-hander has been among the runs in the ongoing continental tournament -- jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. While missing out in India's group stage clash versus Pakistan, he came to his own with a sublime 67 not out versus Nepal and struck a praiseworthy 58 in India's ongoing Super 4 tie versus arch-rivals Pakistan. The game kicked off on Sunday (September 10), in Colombo, with Babar Azam & Co. opting to bowl first. India rode on Gill and captain Rohit Sharma's(56) fifties to stitch a solid 121-run opening stand.

After Gill and Rohit's departures, India were well-placed at 147 for 2 in 24.1 overs with Virat Kohli (8 not out) and KL Rahul (28-ball 17*) in the middle before rain and wet outfield pushed the game to the reserve day. The proceedings will resume on Monday (September 11) with India looking for a big score.

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