There is no bigger honour than representing India in the T20 World Cup but as Gujarat Titans’ skipper, Shubman Gill feels that he will be "doing injustice to himself and his team" if national selection occupies his mind.
The 24-year-old, who scored 890 runs during IPL 2023 and is among the top-10 batters in the current list believes that if he is "picked" it will be another chance for him to take a shot at glory.
If he is not picked, then he will wish the selected 15 the very best from the bottom of his heart.
“Playing for India is the biggest thing. But if I start thinking about the World Cup, then I will be doing injustice to my current team (GT) and myself.
“If I have to be picked for the T20 World Cup, I will be picked. But right now, my focus is on IPL and how to get the best out of my team and perform the best for my team which also helps my players,” Gill told PTI in an interview.
For any player appearing in a World Cup is a dream, but Gill is learning the art of controlling the controllables.
“Obviously as a player, I want to be there and play the World Cup and get that opportunity to represent my country at the highest level – the biggest stage of T20 cricket.
“Having played in a World Cup last year, I have had my share of experiences, and it would be great to be able to play another World Cup. But I am not thinking that far ahead,” he added.
But he didn't forget to mention – ever so subtly – that he has a body of performance built over two seasons.
“I have scored almost 900 runs last season and if I had to be picked, I will be picked if not (then) best of luck to those who are picked,” Gill said.
Captaining Titans is Gill's first tryst with leadership and perhaps through its prism, he is also learning more about 'Shubman-The Human'.
“It's now exactly one month and its (captaincy) been good for me. I have learnt a lot of new things about myself, and about the team, which has been very interesting so far,” he said.
When asked to elaborate, he spoke about how trust is a two-way street built on shared vulnerabilities of the leader and his contingent.
“When you are just a player you are just thinking in terms of how you can help the team in terms of batting and fielding but when you are the captain, you also need to find a way to get the best out of players.
“I need to gain their trust in order to get the best out of them, I need to show my vulnerability so that they can show theirs and you are always thinking more about others than yourself. You become more giving, feel good about yourself," he said.
It is not always easy to lead a side after two fantastic seasons where the team played back-to-back finals under Hardik Pandya, winning the inaugural season in 2022 and finishing second best last year.
So, does it become difficult to create his own footprints in a space created by Hardik and how does head coach Ashish Nehra help him ease into the role? His answer was an interesting one.
“I think in that legacy that Gujarat Titans built, Ashish Nehra had more of a role to play,” pat came the reply.
“Obviously, under Hardik bhai, this team had nothing but success, but I am not thinking about what's gone in the last couple of seasons because that's history.
“What my focus is right now is how we can get into the play off and in the play-off, it's then just about one match.
“And we are a team that experienced success and know how to play big matches and be a better team in pressure situations,” he sounded hopeful of GT’s play-off qualification.
It has been a steady rise to stardom for the 'Crown Prince' of Indian batting, who is expected to carry the mantle once leading light Virat Kohli decides to hang his boots.
How does he look at fame and success? “Success very much defines who you are but it doesn't teach you anything. Success can merely boost your ego and it’s your failures that teach you and you need that in order to grow,” he concluded.
