Shubman Gill is back where it all began - New Zealand

Shubman Gill

New Zealand has become familiar territory for teenaged batsman Shubman Gill. Last year, he bagged the Player of the Tournament award after India lifted the U-19 World Cup where the team's vice-captain scored 418 runs.

In December, he toured Kiwiland again with the India 'A' team for whom he scored a half century in three List A games against NZ 'A'. Since his return, Shubman, 19, has been in mercurial form, having smashed 268, 148, 10, 69 not out, 24, 91 and eight from his last seven Ranji Trophy innings for Punjab. Shubman could make his India debut on the ongoing tour of New Zealand.

His great Ranji form notwithstanding, Shubman stretched every sinew in the Kolkata Knight Riders nets recently at Parsee Gymkhana and at other grounds in Navi Mumbai.
Shubman credits the batting practice he had with a baseball-type stick at a very young age on his father's farmland in Fazilka (Punjab). "A cricket bat was too heavy for me to lift, so my father gave me a thick stick, like a baseball bat. It was a round stick and it really helped me. He [father] would financially reward anyone who managed to get my wicket.

Playing the upper cut
"They would give throwdowns from around 20 yards. I remember they would bowl a lot of bouncers at me. To avoid getting hit, I used to go a bit backwards and play the upper cut. At that time, I didn't know what that shot was, but it came naturally to me. So, it all started from there," recalled Shubman, who often visits his village and meets all those who helped him in his cricket.

At eight, he moved to Mohali for better cricketing facilities and progressed rapidly. "I realised that I was a very different player than the rest of the kids at that age. I could practice for three to four hours continuously because I had developed that routine by then. My father used to take me to a lot of schools which were 10 to 15kms away from our village for practice," he told mid-day before flying to New Zealand on Saturday.

Comparisons with Virat
What has made people sit up and take notice of Shubman's batting is his ability to play shots all around the ground and changing gears as per the situation. On YouTube, his shots have often being compared to India skipper Virat Kohli. But Shubman is quick to dismiss any such comparison. "I don't think that I am even one per cent close to what Virat Kohli is," he said.

Shubman is keen to return from New Zealand, this time with a wealth of knowledge like never before. "I want to see how they (Indian team) train and what it takes to be the world's best batsman. I want to learn many things from them even if I don't get a chance," he signed off.

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