"Shubman Gill is going to shoulder responsibility of Indian team in years to come", says Bangar

Shubman Gill (Pic: File Pic)

Impressed by Shubman Gill's various range of strokes, Sanjay Bangar and Navjot Singh Sidhu feel that the 25-year-old will lead Team India's batting in the years to come.

In the Champions Trophy 2025, Shubman Gill smashed 46 runs in the match against arch-rivals Pakistan. Previously, he delivered a match-winning century against Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy 2025 opening match against New Zealand.

"Clearly, he's the guy who is going to shoulder the responsibility of the Indian team going forward in years to come," Bangar said JioHotstar.

Speaking about the 25-year-old's technique, Bangar said, "(His) foundations are really, really strong and add to that the confidence of nearly two-and-a-half years of performing in one-day cricket. In one-day cricket, he's been phenomenal."

"Now look, the straight drive, the on-drive are the shots wherein you cannot actually hit the ball really hard. But here, he was hitting the ball so hard that despite the mid-off and the mid-on fielder being on that 30-yard circle, the ball was going and hitting them.

"That's the kind of timing he possesses."

Navjot Singh Sidhu was also nothing short of praise for Shubman Gill. He said that Gill has emerged from the shadows of titans such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

"Look, see, nothing grows under a banyan tree and the banyan tree of Indian cricket is basically Rohit Sharma and with him, Virat Kohli. But when you look at Shubman Gill, those two straight drives, even the blistering cover drive, this is like a blitzkrieg where the opposition is taken aback, you know, it's awe-inspiring," Sidhu said.

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"This man has emerged from the shadows of that banyan tree and has come of age. It's tough to say that. You rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt. When you actually take your side through after scoring a hundred and don't throw your wicket, that responsibility is making you better.

"It is developing you; it's not ruining you. So, every responsibility that he's shouldered has made him better. And to me, the best thing is, he's technically so sound that he makes it look so easy," Sidhu added.

Shreyas Iyer also sizzled with the bat against Pakistan, scoring a well-timed half-century in the company of Kohli as India achieved victory with six wickets to spare.

"He is somebody who is very hardworking in the sense that he has gone through a lot of challenges. He has missed out playing Test cricket because of some injury concerns and knows the value of playing for the nation.

"And that's when, once he got that big performance in the World Cup, there was never a question that who is going to be India's No 4. He is a player who is always trying to get better and better," Sanjay Bangar said of Iyer.

The former India all-rounder has also noticed a marked improvement in his approach against the short ball.

"As for his approach against the short ball, I am very happy that earlier he used to back off to the left side and hit towards the offside. But now he is happy to develop a method wherein if he feels that he has to be defensive, he is defensive.

"When he wants to attempt the shots, there is a high percentage of shots which he has control over," Bangar said.

Sidhu was impressed by Iyer's ability to keep the momentum going while scoring his runs.

"There is one thing that separates him from the rest. In skating over thin ice, your safety is speed. This man gives you that speed. See, you look at the pace at which the scoreboard is moving - Pakistan, after the first 34 or 35 overs were 134 or 140-odd.

"(After the) first 10 overs, India was 60-70. And when this man comes, he puts on his skating shoes and is invariably changing gear from the first gear to the fourth gear or the fifth gear and then he comes back. So, he paces his innings... 67 balls, 56. It's not 95 balls, scoring a 50. So, there are qualities that Shreyas Iyer has," Sidhu said.

(With PTI Inputs)