File photo of Shubman Gill. (Getty Images)
New Delhi: Nearly eight years ago, on a gloomy monsoon afternoon at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, a 17-year-old Shubman Gill was going hammer and tongs. Be it Manpreet Gony, Siddharth Kaul, Barinder Sran, or Sandeep Sharma, the Punjab fast bowling attack was taken to the cleaners by the teenager.Former Punjab batter Gurkeerat Mann, padded up and waiting for his chance, shouted, “Shubi, let others bat; it’s been almost an hour now that I am waiting for my turn.” The reply came, “Paji, ye upar waali ball ne aaj trouble kiya hai, thodi der aur ruk jao (The full ball has troubled me today; please let me bat for a while).”Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Mann, an elder cousin to Shubman, laughed and sat down, shouting back, “Tu na maani (You are not going to listen!)”In the meantime, left-arm pacer Barinder Sran, with a heavily strapped ankle after surgery, came to Gurkeerat and asked, “Why is he in the U-19 team? He should be playing for Punjab and India already.”Both burst into laughter, and Sran said, “Next India captain?”The duo nodded, and eight years later, Sran’s prophecy came true as Shubman Gill was appointed India’s Test captain on Saturday.Mann, who has not only mentored Gill from a young age but was also his hero growing up, is not surprised with “Shubi” becoming India’s Test captain.“A generational talent to lead the next generation,” Mann tells TimesofIndia.com. “With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired, he is the right choice to carry the baton forward. He has this insatiable appetite for improvement, and I am sure he will do a good job for India in the whites,” says Mann.Mann reckons Gill’s unfazed temperament is key to handling success or failure.“Win or lose, duck or a century, he will swiftly get over that knock. It is always the next game, then the next game,” says Mann.Since his breakout performance at the 2018 U-19 World Cup, Shubman Gill has been earmarked as a potential successor to Virat Kohli as India’s premier batter. To date, his international career has largely validated this anticipation, proving the long-standing hype surrounding him from his age-group cricket days was well-founded. However, a crucial question remains: can he translate his batting prowess into successful leadership as a captain?
“Oh absolutely. Without any doubt,” quips Sran. “I have seen him from a young age. He was someone whose batting the senior team players used to watch. You would pay to watch him bat. Right from his U-16 days, he has been a standout performer,” says Sran.Sran calls Shubman a “cricket geek” and compares him to a topper in school who knows how to solve a math question in four different ways.“He prepares a lot before every match. He reads the pitch and conditions really well. He never gets satisfied and is always in the match, even when he is not on the field. He anticipates a lot. Even when he came to play for the Punjab senior team, he was not afraid to share his views with the captain.”“He is like the class topper who prepares a lot before the exam but, at the same time, has a great understanding of the game,” Sran says.“Since his U-14 days, when he was 12, he has played in the Mohali stadium, and I used to tell my Punjab teammates that this kid is different. He was a leader back then, and he is a leader now as well,” says Sran.Back in his village, his 88-year-old grandfather Didar Singh is distributing sweets and has only one thing to say about his dearest Shubi, “Waheguru ji dee kirpa (God is great).”The five-match Test series against England is going to be a litmus test for Gill. He will be tested not only for his batting skills but also his acumen as captain. Although this won’t be the first time he will be in uncharted territory. He comes from Chak Khere Wala, a quaint Punjab village 8 kms from the Pakistan border. The boy left everything behind and moved to Mohali to chase his dream. He has always taken the long road and certainly knows the importance of patience and perseverance.
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