File photo of Virat Kohli (left) and Shubman Gill.© AFP
There is no debate over the fact that Shubman Gill is one of the rising superstars of the Indian cricket. The 24-year-old is among the best batters the Indian team has. However, it seems that Gill’s own best is yet to come as his batting graph continues to rise with time. After a sensational Indian Premier League 2023 season, Gill saw a dip in form before making a brilliant comeback. The recently-concluded Asia Cup saw the batter ending as the top scorer with 302 runs to his name across six matches at an average of 75.50.
Former India cricketer Suresh Raina has opined that Gill wants to be the next Virat Kohli.
“He’ll be one of the most important players at the World Cup. I know that he wants to be a superstar and wants to be the next Virat Kohli and is in that aura already and after this World Cup, we will be talking about him more often,” said Raina on JioCinema.
“The form he’s playing in with his hand speed – it’s extremely strong. Spinners don’t know where to bowl to him and if fast bowlers don’t swing the ball, he can play those really well with a straight or a flick. His mindset will not stop here. What Rohit Sharma did in the 2019 World Cup; Gill could do the same for India this year. He’ll get 50 overs to bat, so it’s a takeoff point for his batting. I think he’s a born leader and he shows that in his game,” he added.
Gill came under scrutiny and a lot of criticism after he underperformed against West Indies, especially in the two-match Test series and five T20Is. However, his comeback in Asia Cup has once again put the batter in the list of key players that India will be having during Cricket World Cup 2023.
“He’s been consistent for a year and a half. He struggled in the middle against West Indies, but the way he’s come back and scored good runs in the Asia Cup. He is looking positive, using good footwork, and from getting out at 40 against the West Indies, he is now comfortably hitting 50s and even 100s,” said Raina.
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