Shubman Gill Confident in Next Generation of India T20I Batters

India opener Shubman Gill is confident that the next generation of its T20I batters will be able to fill up the void of recently retired Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. It is relevant to mention that both Rohit and Kohli have declared international retirement from T20I cricket after the Indian team won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup towards the end of last month.

Still, it has not been a long wait for their replacements, who have demonstrated their abilities as potential heirs to the team.

Shubman Gill: Embracing Leadership

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On his appointment, the affable Gill said:

It is something that I enjoy. I would say that it is best when I am out there because every time it looks like I want to be involved in the game.

He mentioned adding that it helps bring out the part of him that enjoys being on the field. Overall, Shubman Gill recognized pressure as a part of leadership but also described the joy that arises with the success of leadership. The captain stated:

There was pressure; I wouldn’t say extra pressure, but, even when you are playing just as a batter, when you don’t perform, there is a certain kind of pressure that comes along with it. But I think that’s a fun part of it. You kind of feel so many different emotions. Pressure is one of them. When you get out of that,  the satisfaction you feel is immense.

Learning from the Best

Shubman Gill stated that he got to learn a lot about himself and the game after playing under Rohit Sharma in the past couple of years. However, the leadership traits he admired were not limited to Rohit alone. Shubman Gill tried to imbibe qualities from several other Indian players, including MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya.

As Shubman Gill pointed out:

You can take qualities from Rohit bhai or even Mahi (MS Dhoni) bhai, Virat bhai, Hardik (Pandya) bhai, all of them.  All of them have great qualities. I have played most of the format under Rohit Bhai, and it’s always a pleasure to play under him.

Promising Performances from Young Guns

Shubman Gill wasn’t the only India batter to perform well against Zimbabwe. Fellow young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal (141 runs) and the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad (133) and Abhishek Sharma (124) all managed scores over 50 during the series.

This depth in batting talent bodes well for India’s future in the shortest format, and Shubman Gill thinks competition for selection among the next crop of top-order batters will prove a massive boost for the reigning T20 World Cup champions. He mentioned:

It’s a good thing that everyone’s performing. It shows that everyone is hungry and nobody is ready to take it easy. For any country or board, that’s always a good thing. Anyone who got the opportunity grabbed it with both hands. The openers to bowlers to all-rounders to spinners, everyone made a mark and I think the selectors have now seen everything and it’s up to them to name the squad for the next series (in Sri Lanka)