The rapid rise of Shubman Gill, from the Under-19s to a Test debut at the MCG
All you need to know about the newest face at the top of the order for India in Test cricket
Gill, 21, hails from the northern Indian state of Punjab. In 2018, he announced himself to the cricket world, playing a major role in India's win at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, where he also finished as the Player of the Tournament, batting at No. 3.
"Straight bat. High Elbow. Head still. Getting on top of the bounce." Recently, former India opener Wasim Jaffer ticked all those skillsets in praise of Gill on Twitter. With his classical technique and fluent strokeplay, Gill has attracted attention from many greats including Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
In the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy, Gill scored 728 runs in just nine innings at an average of 104. Dravid had drafted Gill into the India A set-up to fast-track his progression. Former India allrounder and his senior Punjab team-mate Yuvraj Singh had then said: "He (Gill) is a special talent. After a long time there is a young guy whose batting I like to watch. He is very exciting." Singh had also said Gill should be drafted into the Indian team after the 2019 World Cup.
Gill did not have to wait as long as Singh had imagined. In January 2019, less then a year after the Under-19 World Cup, Gill was about to head to bed when he got the national call-up as one of the two replacements for the New Zealand limited-overs series after Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul had been suspended by the BCCI. Gill played two ODIs but did not cross single digits in either game.
The coaches who have worked with him have said they've been impressed by the youngster's understanding of his game. That is what prompted Brendon McCullum, currently the coach at the Kolkata Knight Riders, to include Gill as part of the team's leadership group. Gill's responsibility was to help newcomers settle down while acting as a channel between them and the management.
"Gee, I was impressed with Gill. I really think he's got something about him, his technique."
Former Australia captain Allan Border, having watched Gill in the two practice matches Indians played against Australia A.
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo