Shubman Gill says India are hungry for another major title to add to the T20 World Cup they won last year.
That thrilling win over South Africa in the final Barbados in 2024 was their first in an ICC global event for 11 years. Their previous title was the Champions Trophy which they won in England in 2013.
They will be pushing to regain the Champions Trophy when they face New Zealand in Sunday’s final at a sold-out Dubai International Stadium.
Gill, India’s vice-captain, is one of a variety of their batters who are entering the final in fine form. He says their confidence is not just swelled by their recent performances, but also by the memories of that title success last year.
“Sometimes once you get one title, then I think that kind of breaks the jinx, and it gives you the momentum,” Gill said.
“Also, you are not very desperate about getting the title and it’s not good when desperation kicks in. Then it’s hard to put the occasion out of the equation.
“In all these big matches the players or the teams that can put the pressure and the occasion out of the game has a better chance of winning it.
“Winning the title in 2024 doesn’t mean that we are less hungry, but I think it kind of makes us more balanced. Yes, we have won an ICC title, and we'll try to do our best to win this one.”
Speculation has been mounting that Rohit Sharma, the India captain, could retire from one-day international cricket if India are successful on Sunday.
His young understudy, Gill, said the matter has not been discussed and that the side are solely focused on what they need to do to beat New Zealand.
He did acknowledge that playing alongside the likes of Rohit and Virat Kohli is a privilege.
“This is the best batting line-up that I have been part of personally,” Gill said. “Rohit and Virat I think all time one day greats in the world.
“Rohit is one of the best openers in white ball. And Virat is one of the best ODI batsmen ever. [Also] we have Shreyas [Iyer] in such a good form, KL [Rahul], Hardik [Pandya], and [Ravindra] Jadeja. I think the depth in our batting makes it easier for the top-order batsmen.
“We can play more freely from the top because we have so much depth. I think this is one thing in which we struggled a little in the beginning.
“There was not enough depth in batting, so there was a little more pressure on the batsmen to bat long. But I think the depth in batting allows us to play a little more freely.”
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
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England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
