New Delhi, Feb 24 Former India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu believes vice-captain Shubman Gill faring well with the bat in the 2025 Champions Trophy has been made possible due to him being made better by every responsibility that he’s shouldered in his career so far.
In two matches so far, top-ranked ODI batter Gill shone by making an unbeaten 101 and 46 in India’s successful chases against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively. On Sunday, Gill wowed everyone with his regal front-foot straight drive fetching him a boundary off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
“Look, see, nothing grows under a banyan tree. And the banyan tree of Indian cricket is basically Rohit Sharma and with him, Virat Kohli. But when you look at Shubman Gill, those two straight drives, even the blistering cover drive, this is like a blitzkrieg where the opposition is taken aback, you know, it's awe-inspiring. This man has emerged from the shadows of that banyan tree and has come of age.”
“It's tough to say that. You rate ability in men by what they finish with, not by what they attempt. When you actually take your side through after scoring a 100 and don't throw your wicket, that responsibility is making you better. It is developing you; it's not ruining you. So, every responsibility that he's shouldered has made him better,” said Sidhu on JioHotstar.
He also pointed out that Gill’s form is going so well that even the edges off his bat are fetching him runs. “To me, the best thing is, he's technically so sound that he makes it look so easy. The shots that he plays over square, you know, the lofted sixes that he hit in the previous game. There was one of those strokes where he wanted to play it straight, but the ball took the edge.”
“Even the edges are flying to the boundary. He's not failed in a single innings in the last 6 or 7 innings. That is how this game is a great leveller. You're struggling for runs, you're struggling for 1s and 2s, and then suddenly, when God gives, he gives it all.”
Sanjay Bangar, the former India player and batting coach, agreed with Sidhu’s views and stated Gill will be leading the side’s charge with the bat in the future. “Well, I think what Navjot Singh Sidhu said is that he's got some tremendous skills going his way. Foundations are really, really strong.”
“Add to that the confidence, the confidence of nearly two and a half years of performing in one-day cricket. In one-day cricket, he's been phenomenal, like the kind of drives that he's hit. Now look, the straight drive, the on-drive are the shots wherein you cannot actually hit the ball really hard.”
“But here, he was hitting the ball so hard that despite the mid-off and the mid-on fielder being on that 30-yard circle, the ball was going and hitting them. So, that's the kind of timing he possesses. Clearly, he's the guy who is going to shoulder the responsibility of the Indian team going forward in years to come,” he concluded.
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