New Delhi:
After India had taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series that had given them their first series win in New Zealand after 10 years, skipper Virat Kohli spoke about the talent pool currently existing in the country. During the post-match presentation, Kohli spoke of one upcoming superstar who had played a major role in helping India win the Under-19 World Cup in 2018. “I saw him bat in the nets and I was like wow I was not even ten percent of that when I was 19. So, that's the confidence that they carry and it's great for Indian cricket, the standard keeps going up and the guys coming in can make those impact performances straightaway,” Kohli said.
The individual who had impressed Kohli in a big way was Shubman Gill and his quote suggested that the 19-year-old from Punjab could make his debut in the next game in Hamilton. On match day, it was proven true. In the country where he made a big name for himself, Shubman was handed his debut for the Hamilton ODI. Speaking about his inclusion, skipper Rohit Sharma, who will lead the side after Kohli was rested for the remainder of the tour, said, “He has shown a lot of promise (Gill), he has played here and was the Man of the Series in the U-19 World Cup. Highly rated and we wanted to see what he could offer to the team.”
On January 30, 2018, Shubman had entered the big league when he blasted a century in the semi-final against Pakistan in the Under-19 World Cup encounter in Christchurch. It was a magnificent tournament where he finished the tournament as the highest run-getter for India, blasting 372 runs in six games at a staggering average of 124. Things got better for the 19-year-old once he came back from his victorious World Cup campaign. In the 2018 Indian Premier League, picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 1.8 crore, he smashed 57 against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings which made him a major talking point. The domestic season proved to be the making of a new star and Shubman impressed in the Deodhar Trophy, scoring 168 runs in three games at an average of 84, including a knock of 106* against India A in a high-scoring chase.
The Punjab youngster was selected in the India A squad for the series against New Zealand and he impressed with a composed 62 in the four-day game at Whangarei and chipped in with some solid knocks in the two List A games at Mount Maunganui. His dream run continued when he was included in the Punjab side for the 2018/19 Ranji Trophy season. In his debut season, the talented right-hander has shown that he belongs to the big stage by smashing 728 runs at an average of 104 with two centuries and five fifties. After starting with two fifties against Andhra Pradesh, he blasted 268 against Tamil Nadu and the best part was that it came while opening the batting. In his next four games, Shubman scored 10 and 148* against Hyderabad and impressed with 69 against Kerala while he rounded off his campaign with a brilliant 91 against Bengal at the Eden Gardens.
The other changes in the Indian cricket team were Khaleel Ahmed replacing Mohammed Shami, who had impressed in the first three games. However, the big news was that MS Dhoni was still not fit after he suffered hamstring soreness in the Bay Oval ODI. However, the attention today will be on Shubman as he tries to make an impact in the national team.
