T20 World Cup 2024: ‘A feather in our cap’: Gill

India’s stand-in skipper Shubman Gill

India's emotional and epochal triumph in the just-concluded T20 World Cup found its resonance in Gen-Next stars such as Shubman Gill and Riyan Parag who termed it as an "inspiration" while vowing to bring more glory to the nation in future.

The new line of Indian players are here to play a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which is starting from Saturday at the Harare Sports Club. Gill, who is leading the contingent here, was a travelling reserve with Rohit Sharma's men before returning to India after the group stage of the T20 WC which was held in the USA. The 24-year-old rated the victory as a "feather in the cap".

‘Very special for all of them'

"This must have been very special for all of them, and special for me. They have been working very hard for this. So, it's a feather in the cap," Gill told BCCI while sharing his feelings about India's thrilling seven-run win over South Africa in the title match at Barbados last week.

India players during a practice session at Harare recently. Pic/BCCI

Abhishek Sharma, who had a stellar run for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024, had a special companion while watching the final - multiple World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh. "I was watching the match [T20 WC final] with the one and only Yuvi paji [Yuvraj Singh]. He got very emotional when India won the final. Watching that, I felt very good and got very inspired.

"It's a dream for all of us to win an ICC trophy, and he has won it for India many times," Abhishek said. "I will never forget that moment, and then we went outside and celebrated. I think this World Cup was very special and now I am really motivated to win a Cup for the country," he added.

Also Read: "I will want to open in T20Is": Shubman Gill eyes vacant slots by Kohli, Rohit

Riyan Parag, who is set to make his T20I debut against Zimbabwe, called the victory an inspiration to all budding players in the country. "It's an inspiration for all of us, the young players here in this squad to win a World Cup, to win something this big in stature. I think it's motivating for all of us, and the young cricketers in India," said Parag.

Wicketkeeper batter Dhurv Jurel used inverse logic while watching the final. Jurel did not want to jinx India's chances of winning the match, hence he was telling everyone that South Africa would lift their maiden World Cup. "I was thinking that if I say India will win, then SA might win. So, I was saying SA will win, and eventually, India won. I was celebrating like a kid after that," Jurel chuckled.

Ruturaj Gaikwad was delighted to see three modern-day giants in Virat Kohli, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja, his teammate at the Chennai Super Kings, retiring from T20Is with a title win. "To have a win of this kind, where we were almost in the jaws of defeat, and then to come back from there and win is a special moment. Obviously, a great end to the T20I career of three legends [Kohli, Rohit and Jadeja]."

For pacers Mukesh Kumar and Tushar Deshpande, the victory was nothing short of a "miracle". "As we say, the game is not over, till it's over. The final was the best example for it. We believe that miracles can happen," said Deshpande. Pacer Avesh Khan shared the big moment with local fans and now he wants to create his own piece of history. "There is a place near my native - Rajwada - where people gather in a public space to watch big matches. I also went there to watch the match. I celebrated with everyone.

‘Will maintain this standard'

"I feel so proud to watch those videos and photos coming out in social media after our trophy win, and we will strive to maintain this standard of performance in the future, too," he noted. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi exploited the luxury of loneliness inside a hotel room to scream his lungs out, while all-rounder Washington Sundar said the win has created an emotional chord with the country.

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