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Predictions 
Shubman Gill is at the peak of his game as far as ODI cricket is concerned. No player has scored more runs than him since the start of 2023.
The 25-year-old top-order batter has amassed 2047 runs at an average of 63.96 in this period, with seven hundreds and 11 fifties to his name. He boasts of a strike-rate of 101.03 as well. Thus, there is absolutely no doubt that he has been arguably the best ODI batter over the last couple of years.
Gill was rewarded for his consistency as he was elevated as the vice-captain of the ODI team ahead of the England series and the 2025 Champions Trophy. And he could well make his ODI captaincy debut in the game against New Zealand.
There are reports that Rohit Sharma might be rested for the last group game. The current India ODI captain injured his hamstring while fielding in the match against Pakistan. He was off the field for a few overs as well and Gill was in-charge on the ground.
Rohit confirmed that his hamstring was okay after the last game. However, with India already through to the semi-finals, he may not want to risk aggravating the injury. Hence, Gill could lead the ‘Men in Blue’ in the final group fixture against New Zealand. The Punjab-born batter has led India in T20Is last year. He was the captain when India toured Zimbabwe after the T20 World Cup win and they won that series 4-1.
According to various reports, when India had their full-fledged training session in Dubai on Wednesday (February 26), Rohit was the only one who did not bat. He was constantly having a chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir. If the 37-year-old decides to rest, India could bring in Rishabh Pant into the side. The left-handed wicket-keeper batter may either open, or KL Rahul could move to the top.
Shubman Gill turns up alone during optional practice session
India had a three-hour practice session on Wednesday (February 26). However, Gill was absent that day, and it was being reported that he may be ill which led to him missing the intense training session.
However, the current India vice-captain put all those speculations to rest as he was the sole member of the side to practice on Thursday. According to reports on Cricbuzz, Gill batted for more than two hours in the nets as he was accompanied by two throwdown specialists (Raghu and Nuwan) along with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.
India’s next full-fledged practice session is scheduled for Friday (February 28), and they will have a rest day on Saturday (March 1) before they face New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday (March 2). It is a dead rubber, with both India and New Zealand already through to the semi-finals. However, the game will decide who finishes at the top of Group A.
