Rahul Dravid has helped a lot in my transition, explains Shubman Gill

Graduating from the under 19 level, Gill has now made his international debut as he played a couple of ODIs on the New Zealand tour. The right-handed batsman from Punjab was one of the stars for the India junior team that lifted the Under 19 World Cup in 2018. He was the Man of the Tournament then and then got a chance to represent Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gill has spoken about the influence that Dravid has had on him in making a transition from the junior level to the senior Indian team.

"Rahul sir has helped a lot in this transition. Since he has been through this phase himself, he is fully aware of what an 18 or a 19-year-old youngster needs to do to adjust to higher levels of cricket. One needs to match the highest standards in all aspects of the game, so he helped me realize all that. Besides, I also learnt how to handle success, how to handle failures by talking to him,” Gill told TOI.

"Also, there are times when a youngster reaches the highest level, he at times starts taking things easy and doesn’t work as hard in the nets as earlier. Since a youngster tends to get relaxed, the amount of time spent in the nets tends to reduce in some cases. I feel it is important to continue to do all the drills religiously. You have to take the additional effort in other aspects but you cannot compromise on your basic work ethic if you have to sustain at a higher level.”

Gill became a popular name after India won the Under 19 World Cup under the captaincy of Prithvi Shaw last year. He had scored 418 runs at a staggering average of 104.50 in the tournament and played an instrumental role in India’s victory.

"Life’s changed a lot in terms of the experience I am gaining, even at a higher level. Early last year, when I was preparing for the under-19 World Cup, I would think if I do well here, it may lead to more opportunities. But I hadn’t imagined it would all happen so soon," Gill explained.

When asked about his reaction after getting a chance to play in the senior national team, the Punjab batsman replied, “It was an overwhelming experience. When Ravi sir told me 'aapagla match khelrahe ho', it was a surreal feeling. To take the field with players whom you have idolized since childhood and to get the India cap from Mahi bhai (Mahendra Singh Dhoni), was amazing.”

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