Shubman Gill's Assessment of Dubai Pitch Ahead of NZ Final: 'We Haven't Seen a 300 Score Yet'

Team India vice-captain Shubman Gill evaluates the Dubai pitch ahead of the highly anticipated Champions Trophy final against New Zealand. The summit clash is set to take place on the same surface where India convincingly defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage. In the previous encounter, Pakistan struggled to build momentum and could only manage to score 241 runs after choosing to bat first in a low-scoring match.

Shubman, who was recently elevated to the vice-captaincy role, discussed the pitch for the final and pointed out that the 300-run score has not been breached yet in Dubai.

"I don't think the wicket is gonna behave any differently. We haven't really seen a 300 score here, as yet, and I think, irrespective of the weather, the wicket is gonna be similar to what we've been playing on," Shubman said in the press conference on the eve of Champions Trophy final.

The 25-year-old has shown confidence in the Indian batters and bowlers' abilities to get the desired results on the tricky Dubai wicket.

"And I think we as a team have got a good idea of how to play on those kinds of wickets and how to bowl on those kinds of wickets," he added.

'I don't play any shots which are preplanned': Shubman Gill

The talented opener, who is currently the number one ranked ODI batter, talked about his approach with the bat. The Indian team has adopted an aggressive approach at the top of the order in thepowerplay.

"I honestly don't really think about that, I need to take more risks, or I need to take less risk. It's about me being in my zone and taking calculated risks, and I think that is the hallmark of my game, you know, I take risks at the right point when I feel the bowler is under pressure, and most of my batting is instinctive. I don't pre-plan. I don't play any shots which are preplanned," he added.

Shubman started the Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a century against Bangladesh and also looked fluent against Pakistan, as it seems like he has got the hang of Dubai's wicket.

He asserted that when he is batting in the middle, the primary planis to give the bowlers an extra cushion of 15-20 runs.

"And, obviously when you're playing on the wicket, you kind of have an idea of what kind of total you're looking to make on that wicket, and then you add 15-20 and to get the extra cushion to the bowlers, and that's what I think of when I'm batting," he added.

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