India vs England: Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli charm Narendra Modi Stadium | Opinion

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A series sweep against England in the ODI format has given rise to great expectations again. Ahead of the Champions Trophy, which, for India, will be held in Dubai, so many batters returning to form has been good.

Most important, Shubman Gill firing a century at the Narendra Modi Stadium where he also leads the Gujarat Titans makes him stand out in many ways. The knock he produced on Wednesday (February 12) showed he is in good touch and taking on vice captaincy has fired him up further.

As the record books say, Gill had scores all kinds of centuries here in Tests, T20, IPL and now an ODI. Indeed, India will hope the young man can ride on his form like this and serve India well in the Champions Trophy as well.

To be sure, this English side looked pathetic. On air, Ravi Shastri has said they have not been putting in hard work at practice, the exception being Joe Root. The way their fast bowlers have been hammered, be it Jofra Archer or Mark Wood, their confidence would have hit the nadir.

Gill took on all, pace and spin in these three matches with minimum fuss. Some say, he is the best for this format - ODIs. And with speculation increasing this will be Rohit Sharma's last assignment for the nation in the ODI format, Gill is ready to step in.

At least, he does not look a zombie like Suryakumar Yadav whose runs have dried like a tap in an arid desert in T20 internationals. One hopes, Gill will always be around and chip in with his infectious enthusiasm. He has been talked of a superstar for a long time but there have been patches when people look him at some kind of fake.

The way Gill has gone about his batting in this series against England has been defining. He needs to be in this mode right through the Champions Trophy. Of course, wickets in Dubai will be very different, not like the belter at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Just as Gill was changing gears and slipping into overdrive, there was a half-ton from Virat Kohli which may have looked pale in comparison. For trolls, even a half ton will not suffice and they will talk of poor footwork from Kohli.

For old times sake, if you had watched King Kohli execute that cover drive on Wednesday, which screamed on the way to the fence, it looked sublime. Rohit Sharma played himself into form in the second ODI, Kohli has come good, so there is room for optimism.

The social media types will still troll Kohli but it does not matter. King Kohli has ensured he will be relevant in the Dubai matches, as the world still fears him. They say, Ustads perform best when most needed.

The kind of crowd frenzy which is anticipated in Dubai will be the right platform for Kohli to take on arrogant Pakistan. There is so much Kohli has done to ensure Pakistan fear him in white ball cricket.

Perhaps, the sight which fans watched in Ahmedabad on Wednesday has also ensured the ODI format is not dull as ditchwater! The T20 quickness and speed has spoilt many fans.

For sure, there is no existential crisis for the ODIs, with a World Cup to be held in 2027. One man who has not got to play in the series is Rishabh Pant. That will be a different piece soon.