Young India opener Shubman Gill has evolved as the ‘next big thing’ in Indian cricket. During his debut Test series against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the right-handed batsman appeared in the last three matches and impressed everyone with his top-quality batting.
Gill ended the series as the fourth-highest run-scorer for Team India. He accumulated 259 runs from three red-ball fixtures at an impressive average of 51.80 with a top score of 91 in the series-deciding final Test at the iconic Gabba in Brisbane.
Due to the thrilling show in Australia, Gill was rewarded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as they named him in the 20-man squad for the high-voltage tour of the United Kingdom (UK). India will play the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) against New Zealand in June, followed by five-match Test series against England starting in August.
Ahead of the WTC final, Gill revealed how the inspirational chat with skipper Virat Kohli has motivated him to do well in cricket. The 21-year-old reckoned Kohli encourages the younger generation by sharing his own experiences.
“Whenever we talk to Virat bhai, he always tries to motivate us and says that as a youngster, we can play fearlessly and on our free will. Mostly the talk is about mindset. Whenever I feel that I am not in a good frame of mind, I talk to him. He always motivates me and shares his own experiences, of being a youngster in the team, with me,” Gill told India TV.
Gill, who has become the new partner of veteran Rohit Sharma as another opener in the longest format, also spilt beans concerning batting alongside the Mumbaikar.
“Yes, whenever I am batting with Rohit Bhai, we talk about where a particular bowler can bowl, where he is looking to get us out, what the situation is, whether we should not take any risk or if we are set, where should we try to attack, etc.,” Gill added.
