Highlights
- Shubhman Gill made his ODI debut in 2019 against New Zealand
- Gill currently averages 30.47 in Tests
- The Gujarat Titans batsman has scored 1900 runs at average of 32.2 in the IPL
Elegant and powerful, are the two words that strongly validate Shubhman Gill's prowess as a batsman. The 22-year-old Punjab-based batsman when first burst into the cricketing scene was being touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket. Gill, while living up to these expectations amassed a total of 418 runs at an average of 104.50 in the 2018 ICC U-19 World Cup. Gill who was Prithvi Shaw's deputy, the vice-captain of the team batted his way against all odds and bailed his team out of trouble whenever in trouble. Gill's exploits at the all-important number 3 position played a crucial role in India's record fourth world title. His sudden rise to fame made him a hot pick for the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions where he was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.8 crore.
Gill who is born in Fazilka, Punjab found it extremely tough going into the IPL. Huge bets were placed on him and expectations were sky high, but Shubhman could not perform as per the reputation he had earned for himself ahead of the star-studded league. The blue-eyed boy's talent was spotted very early on by none other than his father Lakhwinder Singh who later shifted base to Mohali for his son's cricket training. Gill's father rented out a place close to the PCA Stadium to ensure that his son has better access to the game. Shubhman was extremely quick to repay his father's efforts as he went on to score 351 runs in Punjab's Inter-District U16 tournament in 2014. Gill later went on to smash a double century in his U-16 debut for Punjab at the Vijay Merchant Trophy.
Gill's continued exploits earned him the BCCI award for the Best Junior Cricketer for consecutive years in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and it was only a matter of time before he could be inducted into the U-19 national side. The prowess of Gill was such that he even made Prithvi Shaw look ordinary, the Mumbai-based batsman who had a habit of grabbing headlines for his elegant style of batting. Gill had an extremely dismal 2018 IPL season but he continued to score heavily in the domestic seasons.
Riding high on his domestic success, Shubhman was picked up by the Indian senior team. He made his ODI debut against New Zealand at Seddon Park on January 31, 2019. Cricket experts and fans all over the globe thought that Shubhman was an answer to India's number 4 woes but things changed very quickly for the youngster. Gill started showing signs of inconsistency at the highest level and as a result, was benched. With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan it was extremely difficult for Gill to find a way back to India's limited overs setup.
The Indian team management persisted with Gill's talent and handed him over the Test cap. He made his Test debut in the famous Border-Gavaskar 2020-21 Trophy and put an impact straightaway. In the last innings of the Gabba Test match, Gill scored a solid 91 which played a very crucial role in India winning the Test match and the series. Since then, he has not backed it up with any solid performance. The 22-year-old batsman could not deliver in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and still is in search of his first international Test ton.
Due to his slow strike rates, Kolkata Knight Riders did not retain him ahead of the 2022 IPL auctions. Gill was later picked up by Gujarat Titans and he ended up faring quite a role. His IPL 2022 performance earned him a call back in the Indian Test setup for the Edgbaston Test match. Gill could not carry his IPL form into the Test match and hence people started questioning his place in the Indian team.
Shubhman Gill has all the potential as a batsman who can stamp his authority over world cricket, but consistency is his biggest foe which he needs to get rid of.
