Former Indian cricketer Mohamed Kaif has lavished rich praise on young Indian opener, Shubman Gill. He said that with the way the youngster is batting team management will not be able to stop such a player for a long time as he is looking better and better whenever he is given the opportunity.
Shubman Gill’s rise in intentional Cricket
Shubman Gill impressed one and all with his heroics in the U19 World Cup in 2018. He was awarded Player of the Tournament for his heroics as he ended the tournament as the highest run scorer. After that, he made himself a name in the domestic circuit and then got his Indian cap as well.
He impressed everyone with his stroke play in his debut Test match for India at MCG where he scored 45 & 35* and followed it up with an elegant fifty at SCG. However, Shubman Gill came into the limelight once again as he played another stylish inning and scored 91 runs in the series decider at Gabba.
Apart from his heroics in Test cricket during his debut series, he was also the leading run scorer for KKR in IPL 2020 as he scored 440 runs at a decent strike rate of 117.96 in the 14 matches he played.
Since then has not looked back and is currently rated among the best young players for India. Gill has been in the top form in the ODIs of late. The right-hander has set to stage on fire ever since he opened the innings for India in the 50-over format. The Punjab batter has been performing consistently and has been giving his team a fiery start.
Gill had the highest average by an Indian batter in ODI in 2022 with 72.5. Overall in 14 innings, he has 674 runs at an average of 61.27 and 100.45 strike rate to go with 4 fifties and 1 century. With the way he’s batting, it’s fair to say that he has sealed the third opening spot in the side alongside Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.
Most hundreds for India in International cricket in 2022:
Rishabh Pant – 3
Virat Kohli – 2
Shubman Gill – 2
Ravindra Jadeja – 2
Suryakumar Yadav – 2— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 16, 2022
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After proving his worth in white-ball, one thing that many wanted him to do is to score a Test century. While not many doubted his ability as a batter, century in the longest format was something, he too was desperate to score. But in what was a class inning, he finally achieved the feat in the second innings of the first Test against Bangladesh.
Gill smashed a century in just 146 balls and then perished after scoring 110 runs. This innings by him made his case strong for the opening position in the team. His tally of 110 runs is the highest individual score by an Indian opener in Tests in 2022.
Mohammad Kaif praises Shubman Gill for his heroics
Gill’s heroics has been lauded by many including Mohammed Kaif, who feels that the right-hander is looking better and better whenever he is given the opportunity. Speaking on Sony Sports, he said:
“Shubman Gill has the technique, scores runs consistently, and has the hunger. He scored in the IPL and won Gujarat Titans the title, has scored centuries in ODI and Test cricket, so his 2022 has been fantastic. You will not be able to stop such a player for a long time, whether you have to drop KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer for that, the place will get created. He is looking better and better whenever he is given the opportunity. The Test match is after three days, Rohit Sharma might not come as well.”
Gill will be next seen in action during the second Test against Bangladesh, which will take place on 22nd December in Dhaka.
