Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan compared his journey with that of Shubman Gill. Recalling an anecdote when he made his debut, Pathan revealed how Rahul Dravid groomed him. Pathan also recalled how Virat Kohli was compared to Sachin Tendulkar, and now Shubman Gill is being compared to Kohli.
“When I entered the Indian team at the age of 19, the great Rahul Dravid told me that you have come to the team, it is good, but things would get tougher from here,” Pathan said on Jiostar.
Pathan acknowledged that Gill, too, needs a similar adjustment, as now he is entrusted with the leadership responsibilities in different formats of the game.
“The same can be said for Gill. He became captain in that England series; he increased his average and authority within the team. Then he got the ODI captaincy. When that happens, you get an opportunity to grow a lot,” Pathan said.
“He has a lot of talent. There will always be comparisons. Virat was compared with Sachin and now Gill is being compared to Virat, who has scored those 25000-30000 runs,” Pathan noted
I think he is fully capable of it. He has a fine range of shots. The more responsibility and challenges he gets, he will grow as a cricketer. I have seen that he is always ready for cricket,” Pathan added.
However, things have not been easy for Gill of late. He has been dropped from the T20I squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup after being named the vice-captain during the Asia Cup on the back of a fruitful tour to England.
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“We know what a quality player he is, but, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said in the press conference for India’s squad announcement.
“It’s unfortunate to have missed out in the last World Cup as well because we went with different combinations. But it’s the combinations more than anything else…Someone has to miss out when you pick 15 and unfortunately, it’s Gill at this point,” Agarkar added.
