No discussion on Rohit and Kohli's retirement: Gill
Dubai, Mar 8 (PTI): Speculation is rife on the ODI future of skipper Rohit Sharma and senior batter Virat Kohli after the Champions Trophy but vice- captain Shubman Gill on Saturday said the Indian dressing room is not discussing retirement of the two modern-day greats.
Kohli and Rohit are still batting strong in the format but it is being discussed in cricketing circles that if India wins the ICC showpiece, both the batters or at least one can call time on his career.
"There is no talk about retirement in the dressing room, now," Gill said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand here on Sunday.
Big match pressure
Gill conceded that there is “big match pressure” on India ahead of the title clash, but was confident of winning the coveted 50-over title that eluded the team during the 2023 World Cup.
"The big-match pressure is always there. The last time (2023) we couldn't do it, but we will try to do it this time. In a big match, the team that takes the pressure out of the equation has a better chance of winning," he said.
Gill cited the example of some of the best teams from the history of cricket to underline his argument.
"This is the reason why we talk about big teams of previous years including West Indies and Australia.
"Those teams played their best cricket in knockouts and used to take out pressure from the big-match equation. Easier said than done, but good teams play their best cricket under pressure," he added.
Gill feels privileged to be a part of "best batting line-up" but said the depth in their order allows the top three to express themselves freely.
"This is the best batting line up I am part of. Rohit is one of the best openers (in the world) and Virat, we need not tell about him. But our team has depth in batting and that allows the top order to bat with a bit more freedom," Gill, India's most prolific 50-over batter in the last two years, said.
The elegant opener said playing a match here earlier against New Zealand does not give them any extra advantage.
However, he conceded that the team will feel motivated after winning all their previous four matches at the DICS.
"We have played 4 matches here and we have done really well. But I think the last time we played NZ, despite losing three wickets early, we played a good match and won comfortably. So I don't think there is any added discussion.
"Obviously, we can talk about someone in the top 3-5 firing that would give us a better chance to chase a big total or put up a big total."
Gill said the nature of the Dubai track will come up for discussion later.
"Obviously, the kind of wicket that we will play on would be the discussion. We have not seen a 300-plus total here. The wickets that we are playing on are quite different from the wickets that were being used in Pakistan," he added.
India ended a long barren run in ICC tournaments when they won the T20 World Cup last year, and Gill said the triumph has freed up the team a bit.
"Once you get one title, it gives you the momentum. You are not very desperate about getting the title. It's not good when desperation kicks in.”
However Gill said the hunger of the team to win more titles has not been satiated.
"But winning the title in 2024 doesn't mean that we are less hungry, but I think it kind of gives us more balance that we have won an ICC title and we will try to do our best to win this one," he noted.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
