Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has long been viewed as the next jewel in India’s batting crown. His rise began at the 2018 ICC U19 World Cup, where he stood out as India’s most reliable run-getter. Batting at No. 3, Gill amassed 418 runs at an average of 104.50, playing a pivotal role in India’s record fourth title triumph. Named the Player of the Tournament, he became one of the most sought-after names in the IPL auction and was snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.8 crore.

Born in Fazilka, Punjab, Gill's precocious talents found an early fan in his father, Lakhwinder Singh, who shifted base to Mohali and rented a place near the PCA Stadium so that his son could grow up with better access to cricket. And it wasn't long until Gill started grabbing headlines. He scored 351 in Punjab's Inter-District U16 tournament in 2014, racking up an opening stand of 587 with Nirmal Singh, and then went on to strike a double hundred in his U16 debut for Punjab at the 2016 Vijay Merchant Trophy.

Gill made his List A debut for Punjab in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, batting one-down, and went on to make his first-class debut in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy against Bengal, where he batted as an opener to score his maiden half-century and stepped it up in just the next game with a maiden hundred against Services.

Gill won the BCCI award for the Best Junior Cricketer for consecutive years in 2013-14 and 2014-15, knocking hard on the doors of the U19 team. When picked, Gill starred in India's handsome 3-1 win at home over England in the Youth ODIs, scoring 351 runs in 4 innings and then went on to match up to his high standards in his first tour of England soon after. India whitewashed the hosts 5-0 and Gill top-scored again with 278 runs across 4 innings.

Gill easily looked the best batsman among his colleagues at the World Cup, comfortably overhauling even Prithvi Shaw, the 18-year-old Mumbai batsman who had the media houses buzzing with a whooping five first-class hundreds to his name. Gill's bottom-handed technique, made fashionably successful by Virat Kohli among many others, allowed him to play in a similar mould. He scored runs briskly, mixing quick singles and doubles with powerful hits across the ground, and stood out as much for his batting acumen as he did for his fielding prowess.

Once back from the World Cup in New Zealand, Gill soon found himself returning to the unglamorous grind, representing Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He started the tournament with modest scores of 25, 4 and 8 but soon recovered, flaying a match-winning 123 against a rampant Karnataka side.

Strong showings in the 2018-19 domestic season meant that Gill was seamlessly transitioning into being a senior India player. He even looked unnerved on the big stage of the IPL, despite batting out of position for the Kolkata Knight Riders. 2019 turned out to be a potential career-turning year for the Punjab youngster who first got picked for the ODIs in New Zealand where he also made his international debut.

With India facing the eternal number-four issue, many felt Gill would be punted with the World Cup not far away but after a handful of games (that too on extremely tough surfaces), he found himself out of the squad. Of course, the selectors and he himself knew that age is on his side and that his time would come. In the 2019 IPL, he batted in the top order and on expected lines, managed to create a bigger impact. However, it’s his exploits in red-ball cricket that’s convinced people of his completeness as a batsman. By churning out runs for fun in his brief First-class career thus far, Gill has now staked a claim for a spot across formats and has rightly been picked as a back-up opener for the home Tests against South Africa

Chances were limited in the beginning, but Gill was pushed into the deep end when he was asked to open the batting Down Under with Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood breathing down his neck. Gill gave a good account of himself, scoring a vital 91 in that famous Gabba Test which India won to claim the series 2-1 despite missing plenty of their first team regulars.

He was soon reintegrated into the red ball team, with a spot opening up for him at the top of the order as age caught up to Shikhar Dhawan. He scored his first ODI hundred in August, 2022 against Zimbabwe and later that year notched up his first Test ton in an away series against Bangladesh.

2023 proved to be Shubman Gill’s year, as he swapped hats from being a prodigious talent to becoming the man of the moment. He made his T20I debut early in January, and later in that month itself scored his first century in the format, becoming the fifth Indian to have recorded centuries in all formats. Gill was scoring runs for fun in the first half of the year, and had a glorious IPL as well. He was the leading run scorer for the 2023 season, with a whopping 890 runs which included 3 centuries.

Many expected Gill to carry that momentum into the World Cup, but his form tapered off slightly as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer took center stage for India in that tournament. Nevertheless, Gill scored an impressive 354 runs in the World Cup with four fifties to his name. Post the World Cup, Gill has struggled to match up to his incredibly high standards, having a mediocre series away to South Africa.

Gill was impressive in the home Tests against England in 2024, where he scored two fifties and two centuries. He followed that up with a mediocre IPL where he could manage just two fifties and a century, averaging 38.73 which was paltry compared to his lofty standards. Gill failed to make the cut for the T20 World Cup, travelling only as a reserve player. He got a chance to captain India shortly after the World Cup success, when they travelled to Zimbabwe while most of the senior players were rested.

However, Gill would see a slight dip in form starting with the home series against New Zealand in late 2024 and endured a torrid run in the Border-Gavaskar series that followed. Missing the first Test Down Under through injury, Gill failed to impress in the next two Tests and found himself out of the side for the fourth. He returned to the XI in the fifth Test at Sydney but scores of 20 and 13 meant that he drew further scrutiny - particularly about his performances outside Asia which had been lacklustre at best.

Switching formats, however, seemed to Gill a lot of good. He had an excellent series against England in early 2025 with scores of 87, 60 and 112, and he entered the 2025 Champions Trophy as the No.1 ODI batter. He started the tournament with an unbeaten 101* and although the runs dwindled thereafter, he finished the tournament with 188 runs - the third most for India after Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli.

Gill enjoyed a stellar IPL 2025 campaign, where he led the Gujarat Titans from the front. Amassing 650 runs, he finished as the franchise’s second-highest scorer, once again highlighting his consistency in the shortest format. His form carried seamlessly into the red-ball arena. Handed the responsibility of captaining India in the high-profile home Test series against England, Gill rose to the occasion in emphatic fashion. He piled up 754 runs across five Tests, blending grit with flair, and silenced any lingering doubts about his ability to dominate in the game’s longest format. It was a defining chapter in his journey, one that established him not just as a prodigious talent but as a leader and cornerstone of India’s batting future.