Perth [Australia], October 19 : India's left-arm speedster Arshdeep Singh drew a stark comparison between the ODI captaincy of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, classifying them both as "proper" bowler skippers, who give freedom to their attack.
During the announcement of India's squads for the white-ball tour of Australia, chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced Shubman Gill as the new skipper, succeeding Rohit in the leadership hierarchy. The 26-year-old was tasked with a tenacious debut captaincy assignment of leading India in the challenging three-match ODI series in Australia.
The series opener at Perth's Optus Stadium on Sunday reminded Gill of the gravity of the challenge as he saw his side fall to a seven-wicket defeat (DLS method) in a rain-curtailed fixture. Arshdeep, who was a part of the Rohit-led squad during the veteran's last dance in the Champions Trophy final, struggled to identify the difference but pointed out the similarity in their treatment of bowlers.
"In ODIs, I've played very little. So I can't tell the difference yet. But I'd say both of them were proper bowler captains. They gave you proper freedom. And even today, Shubman backed whatever plans we had. And he said, bowl freely to your plans and just enjoy the moment. We knew we didn't have that many runs. But we just wanted to express ourselves. That was his message. And surely he'll have a great time ahead," Arshdeep said in the post-match press conference.
Arshdeep, who is India's leading T20I wicket-taker with 101 scalps, drew the first blood by removing swashbuckler Travis Head but strayed off his line after his two-over opening spell. Arshdeep explained his plan of attack and the mindset he adopts, which requires him to tweak his plans according to the demands of the situation.
"No, the approach is not the same in ODI. The mindset is attacking. You have to give wickets to the team at the start. But there is a mixture. At the start, you have to put the red ball's length. You have to bowl with a little patience. And you have to set the batsman. Whereas in T20, the batsman goes to attack you," he said.
"And in the last 3-4 overs, you have to bowl with the mindset of T20. So I try to adapt as soon as possible. How are the other batters playing? How much help are they getting from the wickets? So I keep trying to learn. How to bowl in which format? And what help is being given on which wicket? So I keep trying to evolve as a player," Arshdeep concluded.
Arshdeep returned with figures of 1/31 in his five-over spell as Australia gunned down the target to leave Perth with a 1-0 lead. India posted 136/9 after rain interrupted the pulsating fixture four times in a game reduced to 26 overs each. The target was revised to 131 due to DLS, and Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh walloped an unbeaten 46 to help the hosts revel in their first ODI win at the Optus Stadium after seven years.