'Only a few balls can give you the idea of future greatness': Ramiz Raja names Indian youngster with 'great potential'

"He has got a good strike rate in Test cricket and has shots all around the wicket. He needs to be backed by everyone," Raja said about the promising India youngster.

One of the primary reasons behind India doing so well lately is the rise of youngsters. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar and Shubman Gill have put up impressive performances, which served as the backbone of India’s wins in Australia and against England at home.

From Left: Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill (Getty Images)

Hence, it was no surprise to see the inclusion of these youngsters when the squad for India’s tour of England was announced. Heck, there are so many youngsters available that India managed to assemble another squad which will be touring Sri Lanka to play a limited-overs leg in July.

While all these youngsters have performed equally well, former Pakistan batsman Ramiz Raja is impressed with one youngster in particular, Shubman Gill. Raja has opined that India opener Gill shouldn’t be judged on the basis of his performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and must be backed by everyone.

Gill made a stellar entry in Tests, making a dream debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and then contributing to India’s historic win Test series Down Under. But he couldn’t replicate the performance against India at home and struggled to score in the IPL 2021 before the tournament was suspended. Opening for Kolkata Knight Riders, Shubman scored 132 runs in seven games.

The youngster from Punjab is currently in England and gearing up for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, which starts on June 18. Raja, while speaking to The Quint, said Gill has got tremendous potential and that the 21-year-old batsman reminds him of young Rohit Sharma.

“Don’t judge Gill’s potential by his IPL performance. He has got a good strike rate in Test cricket and has shots all around the wicket. He needs to be backed by everyone because I suspect in a country like India where you have a lot of resources, some youngster may not get as many opportunities,” Raja said.

“He has got great potential. Gill reminds me a lot of Rohit Sharma in his early days. I remember watching Rohit in Pakistan even before he made his international debut. Sometimes, only a few balls can give you the idea of future greatness. Make no mistake; Gill can be in the league of Sharma.”