India ODI captain Shubman Gill stated on Sunday that his team’s ultimate ambition is to win the 2027 World Cup, especially after coming so close to taking home the title in the previous 50-over competition.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup final, India lost to Australia after an amazing 10-match winning run.
“Definitely, it does. That is the ultimate goal,” PTI quoted Gill telling Star Sports during the BCCI Awards when asked if he thinks about the next ODI World Cup.
“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. 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,” Gill said.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav said if he could replay one match, it would be the 2023 ODI World Cup final — this time ending in victory.
“Definitely, (the) 2023 World Cup final at Ahmedabad. (I would) love to replay that and win it,” he said.
India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory, according to T20I captain Suryakumar, served as a catalyst for several Indian teams of all ages and genders to win ICC titles in recent years.
“I think we just needed that one spark, or one step, which we actually crossed in 2024 and post that 2025 Champions Trophy, then (the) women’s team winning that ODI World Cup back in 2025 and then (in) 2026,” he said.
“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. If this wonderful thing has started, let’s try and collect as many (trophies) as possible,” Suryakumar said.
In addition to winning gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Suryakumar stated that India will aim for a hat-trick of T20 World Cup victories.
“It’s a great thing that a big event is happening and cricket is getting an entry into that. There are two events in that year – there is a T20 World Cup as well, that time, (and) Olympics as well. So, why not? If you have done two in a row, why not three in a row in T20s and definitely the Olympic gold,” Suryakumar said.
Suryakumar attributed the habit of backing the players to both the current Gautam Gambhir and the former head coach Rahul Dravid.
“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 be seeing good things happening around, there will be lots of ups and downs,” Suryakumar said.
“You have to show a lot of trust in players, belief in them and that’s what we wanted to do when we started that new cycle for 2026 T20 World Cup. Till the (2026) T20 World Cup came, we tried to make as less changes as we could. When you come into a big tournament like this, it’s really important to stand by the players who have done really well for you in the last two years.”
He continued, “We always knew that if we have created – as Gauti bhai (Gambhir) always says, that we’ve created a super team, we’ve picked a super team, so let’s stick to them.”
