India’s under-19 batsman Shubham Gill is one of those players who has been mentored by Rahul Dravid and has shown brilliance for the U-19 squad in the recent tour of England.
Shubnam scored 278 runs in just four innings at an average of 93 and a strike-rate of over 100 in England and these numbers are simply phenomenal in the limited-overs cricket irrespective of the gender, age group and the level of competition.
Adding to this, the 17-year-old was the only batsman to have scored a century in the recently-concluded series.
This is not the first time Shubnam is hogging the limelight; when England toured India earlier this year, he amassed 351 runs in just 4 innings at an average of 117 and a strike-rate of 105.
So without a second thought, one can easily say that Shubnam likes scoring runs against the English team.
“In the first match, I got out after getting set (scored 27). I played a really bad shot and got out. That night, I felt like I was in a good nick and said to myself that I should stay until the end. I kept myself motivated whenever I go to bat and kept scoring runs,” he said during an interview with Sportskeeda.
Well, Shubnam’s short term goal is to do well in the Ranji Trophy and then try to squeeze into the ICC World Cup 2019 team. He said that he is molding himself around Virat Kohli and would look to emulate the Indian captain at some point.
“Right now, my short-term goal is to do well in the Ranji Trophy if I get a chance to play. The long-term goal will be the World Cup.” When asked whether it is the youth World Cup or the men’s World Cup, he quipped, “First the under-19 World Cup and then, the men’s World Cup,” Shubnam said.
He also told Sportskeeda about his training routine and it is very impressive.
“I used to train 4-5 hours everyday without taking a break. My father doesn’t like me taking off days. The only days I won’t be practicing are the days in which I have matches. I wake up at 6 AM in the morning, go to the gym, have my breakfast, practice from 9 AM-12 noon, go for lunch before ending the day a training session in the evening. We have a bowling machine in our nets and I used to bat against it every day. I play at least 500 balls per day in order to improve my game. In between these, I will have few meditation and yoga sessions to improve myself mentally.”
The young lad also revealed that his favourite cricketer is Virat Kohli and he would love to try and emulate him.
“Obviously, my all-time favourite is Sachin Tendulkar. When I started watching cricket, he was a legend, he is still a legend and will remain one forever. But, now my favourite is Virat Kohli. I like his style, the way he carries himself and how he handles pressure. I would like to try and emulate him. It will be very difficult,” Shubnam added.
