Why he matters: Since his national debut four years ago, Shubman Gill has been earmarked to join the big boys of Indian cricket. And as the second-highest run-scorer in a single IPL season, he could well be the man at the centre of it all. Chandresh Narayanan expounds his spectacular innings so far.
Are you among those who cannot pick between one of the two comic universes: Marvel or DC? Well, if you are an Indian cricket fan, the choice has already been made for you—because the youngest superstar has picked his side!
Shubman Gill, the prince or heir apparent, made his choice by lending his voice to Pavitr Prabhakar, or Spiderman in Hindi and Punjabi. This 23-year-old is already the darling of the Indian masses, in more ways than one.
And, of course, his exploits on the field since last year has been the stuff of legends, making him one of the most bankable players in Indian cricket currently.
Since September 2022, Gill has struck seven centuries for India across all three formats, making him the most exciting batter in the world at the moment. His clarity of thought while taking on the best in the world is what makes him so endearing. Gill stands tall and caresses the ball sweetly, as he shows that cricket can still be all about timing and not just power, as was the recent trend.
His smile, his celebration after knocking a century and general demeanour on the field makes him a crowd favourite. You need to be at a stadium to understand how the thousands gathered take to him — all while chanting his name! The current king, Virat Kohli, also goads the crowds at times to pull Gill’s leg, making this a bromance to watch out for!
It was during the IPL this year that Gill took off like never before. He struck three hundreds to end the tournament as the second-highest run-getter (890) ever in an IPL season behind only Kohli’s magical season in 2016. In the final against Chennai Super Kings, he scored 30 off just 20 balls, including seven fours, adding yet another feather in his cap.
So it’s no wonder that Gill had the best introduction to cricket’s greatest ever all-rounder and player, Sir Garfield Sobers. “One of our youngest, most exciting batsmen” was how the current head coach of Teeam India and former captain Rahul Dravid introduced Gill to the legendary Sobers in Barbados recently.
As a legend himself, Dravid would know better than most of us mere mortals why Gill is the current hot property in the world of cricket today!
To see who else is on the list, grab the copy of HELLO! India’s August 2023 issue right here!
