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Is Shubman Gill India’s next superstar?

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Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

A Precocious Talent

Every once in a while, a rare talent emerges in cricket. Rewind back to Sachin Tendulkar in the late 1980s, Shane Warne in the early 1990s and AB De Villiers in the early 2000s. The 2010s saw the “Fab Four” reach an unprecedented peak. The 2020s could well be ruled by India’s latest talent – Shubman Gill.

Sourav Ganguly recently stated that Gill was a mix of Brian Lara and Kane Williamson. Not a bad accolade to receive at such a tender age.

But how did Shubman Gill rise to fame and what does the future hold for this immensely talented superstar?

Under-19 World Cup Heroics

Shubman Gill first rose to fame after starring in India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2018. He scored 372 runs – the second-highest among batsmen. Plus, he recorded the highest batting average in the tournament – a whopping 124. As a result of such excellent performances, Shubman Gill was awarded the player of the tournament.

More importantly, the timing of his runs proved to be crucial. Gill blasted a 94-ball century in the semi-final to help India cruise past Pakistan. In the final, Gill shared a 60 run partnership with Manjot Kalra to help India defeat Australia by 8 wickets. He proved to be a big-match player at the tournament – stepping up when his side needed him most.

Full Marks For First-Class

Highest First-Class Batting Averages In History (minimum 50 innings)

PlayerFC Batting Average (min 50 innings)
Sir Donald Bradman95.14
Vijay Merchant71.64
George Headley69.86
Pathum Nissanka67.54
Ajay Sharma67.46
Shubman Gill (only 34 innings)73.55

Unsurprisingly, Sir Donald Bradman leads the list for the highest first-class batting average in history. Shubman Gill has only played 34 first-class innings. However, he has a superlative batting average of 73.55.

If he were to keep up such form for both India A games and in the Ranji Trophy, he could comfortably occupy a slot in the top five, once he passes the 50 innings mark.

Shubman Gill is primarily seen as a backfoot player. He has a small shuffle against the fast bowlers from middle and leg-stump to middle and off stump. He is technically very correct and often plays the ball very late, right under his eyes. This allows him to account for any lateral movement of the ball. His shuffle is perhaps not quite as pronounced as players such as Jacques Kallis or Steve Smith, but fewer moving parts make it easier to be in sync.

Gill scored a fantastic 204 not out against New Zealand A in February 2020. This was prior to India’s Test series against New Zealand. He scored 83 in the first innings at Christchurch, before backing up with the double-century in the second innings. The bowling attack included New Zealand’s test match spinner – Ajaz Patel.

Is Shubman Gill India's next superstar? | Why Shubman Gill has such a promising future in Indian cricket across formats | New India superstar
Is Shubman Gill India’s next superstar?

IPL Superstar

Shubman Gill has played 27 Indian Premier League matches. He has scored an impressive 499 runs at an average of 33.26. His strike of 132.36 is equally good, considering that he is more of a technical player, rather than a power opener.

Shubman Gill has scored four half-centuries in the IPL and all have come against strong bowling attacks that include international bowlers. His highest score of 76 came against the Mumbai Indians in 2019 at the Eden Gardens. This bowling attack included Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga.

Perhaps fittingly, he scored 15 runs in the final over against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. This was against Shakib Al Hasan and it included two towering sixes to help the Kolkata Knight Riders win the game.

This tells us that this kid really is a superstar. Shubman Gill has the touch game and also the finishing game. To score 15 in four deliveries against Shakib Al Hasan – an experienced bowler requires composure and a cool head. These are two traits that Shubman Gill has proven he has in abundance.

What Next For Shubman Gill?

Test Cricket/ India A/ FC

As a result of all these feats that he has achieved till date, it is hard to fathom that Shubman Gill is only 20 years of age.

He has only played two One-Day Internationals for India and is yet to feature in either Test or T20I cricket. In those two games, he scored only 16 runs but it would unfair to judge him on such a small sample size, given how his domestic career has panned out.

Some forget that in the second unofficial test, Gill also scored 136 against New Zealand A. It is without a doubt that he will be in India’s Test match team at some point or another. Currently, India’s team is very strong but it is likely that Gill will continue touring with the squad and playing in India A games. This will undoubtedly help him to gain more exposure closest to the highest level of cricket. Plus, if an injury occurs or a player has a bad run of form, Gill could easily slot in from India’s A side into the national team.

IPL Continuity

In T20 Cricket, the IPL is proving to be the perfect platform for Shubman Gill. He faces international quality bowlers throughout the tournament and tests himself in a variety of conditions.

Given that Sunil Narine had a poor 2019 season with the bat, Gill will probably be opening the batting consistently for KKR. This should help his growth no end and a place in India’s T20I side could be up for grabs very soon.

Shubman Gill is already a superstar. He just requires the right time and patience to help him fulfil his true potential for India. Gill could very easily form the heart of India’s batting for years to come!

Written by Varun Desai. Follow Varun on Twitter today.

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