Impressed by his calm, collected demeanor and impressive performance against Australia in the Test series Down Under, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has lavished praise on young Shubman Gill and predicted a bright future for him in Indian cricket. Tharoor has made a bold prediction regarding Gill as he believes the young batsman has the potential to become the next captain of the Indian team after Virat Kohli.
Sharing his observations about Gill from the 21-year-old’s performances on India’s recently-concluded Test series against Australia, Tharoor pointed out how the youngster has an old head on his shoulders and has an extraordinary presence about him. In awe of Gill’s confidence, Tharoor predicted he might be Kohli’s successor for Team India in the future.
“This is a guy who acts like he has a very old head on his shoulders. If he manages to carry on like this for a couple of years, he’s going to be the next captain of India after Virat Kohli. I have no doubt about it. He has such an extraordinary presence and a sense of self-collectedness. I think his future is absolutely assured,” Tharoor said in an interview with Sportskeeda.
Gill was included in the playing XI as an opener in the second Test after being left out of the series-opener. He notched up a classy 45 on his debut and didn’t look back from there as the stylish right-hander went on to make an impression with the willow. Gill notched up 259 runs in 6 innings to finish as the fourth-highest run-getter for India in the series.
Gill’s stroke-play, technique, and his temperament have often been praised by many as the youngster continues to rise through the ranks in Indian cricket. For Tharoor, his stand out attributes are his composed nature and the confidence in his abilities. Gill has had a great start to his Test career and will hope to keep getting better in the future.
There are so many things about him that are magnificent to watch. One of the things that impressed me most about the 21-year-old was the air of calm and confidence. There is no nervous energy around the guy. There is no tick. There is no sign of uncertainty or exaggerated gestures,” said Tharoor.
Gill scored a career-best 91 on Day 5 of the series-deciding fourth Test in Brisbane to bail India out of pressure after the early departure of his opening partner Rohit Sharma and help them stay in the hunt to eventually seal a thrilling win by three wickets at Australia’s fortress. With the three-wicket win, India won the Test series 2-1 and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Source: Times Now
