India’s ODI captain, Shubman Gill, has set his sights firmly on the 2027 World Cup, describing it as the ultimate goal for his team. Speaking at the BCCI Naman Awards, Gill reflected on India’s near-miss in the last 50-over World Cup.

“Definitely, it does. That is the ultimate goal,” Gill said when asked if the next ODI World Cup is on his mind.

He recalled the heartbreak of the 2023 final against Australia, despite India’s stellar 10-match winning streak. “We felt like we were so close last time when we were here in the final in India. To be able to get another crack at it in South Africa, it’s going to be a great opportunity for us.”

Gill added, “Winning a World Cup in any format for the country is the ultimate goal, so obviously, that is something that sometimes runs in my mind.”

Suryakumar Yadav hopes to rewrite history

T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav also looked back at the 2023 ODI World Cup final with a mix of regret and ambition. “Definitely, the 2023 World Cup final at Ahmedabad. I would love to replay that and win it,” he said.

Suryakumar credited India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph as a turning point that inspired success across men’s, women’s, and age-group teams. “That one step was important, that taste was important for everyone to understand what it takes to win an ICC trophy. Now, there is no looking back,” he explained.

Looking ahead, he spoke about India chasing a hat-trick of T20 World Cups alongside the Olympic gold in 2028 Los Angeles Games. “There are two events in that year — the T20 World Cup and Olympics as well. So why not? If you’ve done two in a row, why not three in a row in T20s and definitely the Olympic gold,” he said.

He also praised the coaching influence of Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir for instilling trust in the players. “From where we left in 2024 under Rahul sir, we knew that we need to show a lot of trust and belief in the players. Sometimes in sport, you won’t see good things happening around; there will be lots of ups and downs,” Suryakumar said.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s masterstroke

India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed that resting Jemimah Rodrigues before the World Cup semifinal against Australia proved to be a masterstroke.

“Amol sir and I had a very good discussion that sometimes a small break can give you a lot of confidence. I was still in a little doubt whether we should give her rest, but sir was very much clear,” she said.

Harmanpreet explained how the break allowed Jemimah to reset mentally. “That little break gave her a lot of confidence because sometimes as a batter we overthink. It gave her time to think what she needs to do,” she added.