India U-19 swashbuckler Shubhman Gill's father is elated at the performance of his son in the ongoing ICC U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, saying the youngster has always been a dedicated cricketer.
The swashbuckler did half the work for the U-19 Indian team as his brilliant knock helped the team reach 272. The Indian bowlers bundled out Pakistan for a paltry of 69 runs to win the semis and enter the finals to set up a clash against Australia. The swashbuckler was named the man of the match for his 102 runs knock off 94 balls.
"Shubhman has always been dedicated to the game of cricket. I am very happy and proud of my son's performance in the ongoing World Cup," Gill's father Lakhwinder Singh told PTI today.
"We are elated with his century in today's match against Pakistan and defeating the Pakistani team," he said.
Asked when Gill showed his inclination towards cricket, Lakhwinder said he had always been passionate about the game since the age of three.
"Shubhman never liked any other toy. He always loved playing with the bat and ball. He used to play with cricket bat and ball even during going to bed," he said.
Gill's family belongs to a village in Fazilka in Punjab. Shubman's father spoke about the time they took out to help the young lad achieve his dreams.
"We fully supported him for achieving his dream to become a cricketer. We dedicated 15 years on him to enable him become a world class cricketer. We even left our work and skipped several family functions including marriage ceremonies of our relatives so we could dedicate as much time as we could on him," said Lakhwinder who is now based at Mohali.
The 18-year-old Gill scored 102 not out to help India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by 203 runs in the U-19 World Cup semifinal match in Christchurch today.
Gill, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 1.8 crore in the Indian Premier League players' auction, is the team's leading scorer with 341 runs.
(With PTI Inputs)
