One player who has raised the bar for the rest of the country when it comes to batting is Virat Kohli. The Indian captain has been fantastic for close to a decade now and is really a player who has become one of the modern greats. However, 278 runs in four innings is something that you would expect from Virat, not from a 17-year old. Shubham Gill is one cricketer who has been mentored by Rahul Dravid and has shone with those figures for the Under-19 squad in the recent tour of England.
He was in a league of his own and is rising slowly to become a player of some prominence for his age group.
Still got miles to go:
The 17-year old revealed that he was motivating himself to play well after getting out cheaply in the first ODI. He said that the bad shot kept him up at night and he said that he would motivate himself to play well and stay till the end.
He was humble in his analysis and said that he did not want to rush his dream of playing for the Indian team. He said that he was already set on winning the 2018 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand in February.
“In the first match, I got out after getting set (scored 27). I played a really bad shot and got out. That night, I felt like I was in a good nick and said to myself that I should stay until the end. I kept myself motivated whenever I go to bat and kept scoring runs,” Shubham Gill said in an interview to Sportskeeda.
His short term goal was to do well in the Ranji Trophy and then try to squeeze into the big World Cup in 2019. He said that he was moulding himself around Virat and would look to emulate the Indian captain at some point.
“Right now, my short-term goal is to do well in the Ranji Trophy if I get a chance to play. The long-term goal will be the World Cup.” When asked whether it is the youth World Cup or the men’s World Cup, he quipped, “First the under-19 World Cup and then, the men’s World Cup,” Shubham Gill said.
Shubham Gill also told Sportskeeda about his training routine and it is very impressive.
“I used to train 4-5 hours everyday without taking a break. My father doesn’t like me taking off days. The only days I won’t be practicing are the days in which I have matches. I wake up at 6 AM in the morning, go to the gym, have my breakfast, practice from 9 AM-12 noon, go for lunch before ending the day a training session in the evening. We have a bowling machine in our nets and I used to bat against it every day. I play at least 500 balls per day in order to improve my game. In between these, I will have few meditation and yoga sessions to improve myself mentally, Shubham Gill said about his training regime.
The young dashing batsman also added that his favourite cricketers in Virat Kohli and he would love to try and emulate him.
“Obviously, my all-time favourite is Sachin Tendulkar. When I started watching cricket, he was a legend, he is still a legend and will remain one forever. But, now my favourite is Virat Kohli. I like his style, the way he carries himself and how he handles pressure. I would like to try and emulate him. It will be very difficult,” Shubham Gill said.
You can read his full interview on Sportskeeda.com.
