Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar shared an eye-opening account of how Shubman Gill amazed head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli during his very first net session with the national team. Gill had already risen to prominence after a stellar 2018 Under-19 World Cup campaign, where he was named Player of the Tournament.
Soon after, he earned a call-up to the Indian squad for the 2019 ODI series in New Zealand and later made his Test debut in the iconic 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, which India famously won 2-1. Reflecting on Gill’s early days at the nets, Bangar told Doordarshan Sports (via TOI):
“It was his first session and he walked out to bat in the nets. Ravi Shastri was the head coach, the captain was Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni was still in the team. We were preparing for the 2019 ODI World Cup.”
“Coach Ravi Shastri was so impressed that he wanted to put him in the playing XI. ‘Isko abhi khila do’ (Play him now). He left that kind of imprint in his first net session itself, and we realized then that this boy was special.”
He further added: “The side-arm throwers and I started to bowl at Shubman. When we pitched it up, he would play the drive. If the ball was a little outside off-stump, he cut it. If it was slightly short, he pulled it. The other nets stopped; only his net was going on, and everyone was watching in amazement — wondering what this was.”
Shubman Gill Shines In Historic England Test Series
When Shubman Gill was named Test captain just a month before India’s challenging five-match series in England, all eyes were on him. The youngster, however, rose to the occasion brilliantly, amassing 754 runs in five Tests at an average exceeding 75, which included four centuries.
During the series, Gill shattered multiple records. He registered India’s highest individual score in a Test innings in England, as well as the highest by an Indian Test captain overseas, with his 269 in the first innings of the second Test at Edgbaston.
His tally of 754 runs also became the second-highest by an Indian in a single Test series, only behind Sunil Gavaskar’s 774 in the 1970/71 series. Beyond the runs, Gill impressed with his leadership in his debut series as captain, guiding India to a commendable 2-2 draw in English conditions.
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