New Delhi, Sep 27 : Stylish Indian batter Shubman Gill lavished praise on Rohit Sharma, saying the Indian skipper give a lot of freedom to players to express themselves.

Excerpts:  Q: You’ve had an amazing 2023. Looking at this, do you think your run-up to the World Cup has been perfect?  A: Yes, this year has been great for me. The preparation for the World Cup has been good. We have gotten good momentum from the Asia Cup as well. I think peaking at the right time is crucial ahead of a big tournament with so many matches.  Q: What are the differences between T20 and ODI cricket? What changes do you bring into your game based on the format?  A: I think time is the main factor. In an ODI, we have a lot more time, especially we realized that the team that plays well between the 15th and 40th over has the best chance of winning. We don’t play as much one-day cricket as we used to, so exercising patience in that period is very important. Whichever team plays the middle period well, will do well.  Q: How did you adapt your game for a formidable challenge like Australia in an ODI series?  A: Staying mentally prepared is crucial. You can’t give them any room to enter the game, they fight till the end. It’s important that we don’t give them any space to get in and kill the game whenever we get the chance to do so.  Q: This is a team that’s beaten us at home in 2019 and March 2023. Does the preparation change against a team like this?