India after winning all the games at the 2023 World Cup lost the final of the tournament against Australia in Ahemadabad. Shubman Gill who was in good form in the tournament fell for a low score of four runs in the final. However, it was Gill’s first ICC tournament and the game against Australia was his first ICC final at senior level. The 25-year-old would recall how he had “some nerves” for the game.

“Obviously some nerves in that match (2023 final). (I learned) a lot of things. It was my first ICC Final … I was very excited. (It felt like) I was losing time to dominate in that game. I think in big ICC knockout matches, you can give yourself a little bit more time than you think,” he said speaking to ICC.

Though India lost the final they made a comeback by lifting the T20 World Cup 2024 co-hosted in the West Indies and the USA. “We lost (the World Cup Final) in ‘23 and then won in the T20 World Cup (in 2024). So I think we have got good momentum going with us in this tournament. It’s going to be a really exciting game for us and definitely, if we are able to win this one, I think it would be a great way to end this format this year,” Gill said.

India will play the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final on Sunday against New Zealand in Dubai. “It’s a very big opportunity for us and in general, in any ICC tournament or any ICC event that happens, we have a lot of responsibility, a lot of pressure from our fans. And the last two ICC tournaments that we have played, we went on to (make the Final),” Gill would say.

India has last won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 although they reached the final in 2017 they were thumped by Pakistan in the final.