ICC Champions Trophy 2025: 'India have 5 Shubman Gills'– Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly has sent a strong message to the cricket world by claiming that ‘India has five Shubman Gills’ after the Men in Blue kicked off their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.

The former Indian captain believes that the India National Cricket Team isn’t relying on just one or two-star batters, as their batting lineup is a powerhouse of match-winners who can turn games single-handedly and take the games away from the opposition.

Sourav Ganguly praises India’s incredible batting depth

Highlighting India’s incredible depth, the former BCCI president pointed out how even lower-order batters like Axar Patel add to the team’s firepower. India’s recent game in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against Bangladesh showcased this strength when India found itself under pressure.

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Notably, India had started strong in their 227-run chase but faced a setback when wickets fell quickly in the middle overs. Virat Kohli (22), Shreyas Iyer (15), and Axar Patel (8) departed in quick succession, which put pressure on the team.

However, KL Rahul stepped in at No. 6 and played a crucial unbeaten knock of 41 runs and added 87 runs with Shubman Gill (101*) for the fifth wicket, as the duo guided the Men in Blue to a comfortable victory with 21 balls to spare.

We have five Shubman Gills: Sourav Ganguly on India's batting powerhouse

Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI, “India has five Shubman Gills from one, two, three, four, five, and six—who can all score hundreds and win matches. When Axar Patel bats at five for India, can you imagine the depth? Yesterday (Thursday), India was in a spot of bother, but then they had KL Rahul coming in. They had Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya... There’s batting after batting.”

The legendary cricketer has further given credit to India’s strong cricketing system for producing world-class batters, which makes sure the national team always has match-winners ready to rise to the occasion, so they continue their dominance in world cricket.

Ganguly added, “India has a house of talent because of the systems we have and the way we play our cricket.”

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Sourav Ganguly declares India as hot favorites against Pakistan and for ICC Champions Trophy

Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly has made a bold prediction ahead of India’s high-voltage clash against Pakistan on Sunday, declaring the Men in Blue as the clear favorites—not just for the group match in Dubai, but for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 title.

The former Indian skipper has pointed out Pakistan’s well-known struggles against quality spin, and that’s where India’s quality and strong spin attack will play the perfect weapons to trouble their arch-rivals on a Dubai pitch that he is expecting to assist the spinners on Sunday.

Gangly also reckoned that the Men in Blue will go with the same bowling attack that faced Bangladesh in the upcoming group match against Pakistan, and he feels this combination is well-equipped to dominate their biggest rivals in Dubai on Sunday.

Sourav Ganguly backs India to crush Pakistan with spin magic

Ganguly signed off by saying, “India are not just favorites against Pakistan, but for me, they are favorites for this tournament. It won't be easy for Pakistan. The spinners will also play a crucial part. On the wicket in Dubai, they will need spinners. I presume this Dubai pitch will turn a bit, and Pakistan doesn’t play spin very well. India has quality spinners.”

Notably, the Indian cricket team went with three seam options in Mohammed Shami, Harshit Rana, and Hardik Pandya, while Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav took care of the spin department in their first encounter against the Tigers in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.