India's young batting sensation Shubman Gill on Thursday got a call-up for the three-match Test series against South Africa starting from October 2.
Gill, who has been touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, was rewarded for his consistent performances for India A and in domestic cricket.
The Punjab-born player has always been seen as an upcoming star since the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, where he was one of the important cogs in India's triumphant campaign. Gill has been a part of Punjab's senior team dressing room from quite some time now and unsurprisingly, the young prodigy heaped praises on his senior teammate Yuvraj Singh.
Gill said that Yuvraj's word of advice has guided him a lot throughout his career.
"Yuvraj Singh has been through so many challenges in his career, and his support and chats with me have been massively helpful. He's spoken to me about keeping my focus on cricket and let other aspects of professional life (endorsements, player management) aside. Guidance is very important in these aspects. Yuvraj didn't want me to sign with any player management company at the start of my career. He said 'just go and play, forget about these things. I didn't sign anyone," Gill told ESPNcricinfo.
Meanwhile, Gill has received his maiden Test call-up owing to his great run in recent times. Gill scored 90 and 5 in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A that concluded on Thursday to boost his chances.
Gill has already made his ODI debut earlier this year against New Zealand, where the right-handed batsman didn't perform up to the expectations.
After getting his maiden Test call-up, Gill took to Twitter to express his happiness. "Be it blue or white. It's always an honour to represent my country."
Meanwhile, opener KL Rahul was dropped from the Indian Test squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa, propelling senior batsman Rohit Sharma to the opener's role in red-ball cricket.
Gill, who has technically replaced Rahul in the Test side, has been included as back-up floater, who can fit in both as an opener and a middle-order batsman.
