Rahul Dravid delayed another Indian cricketer's push because of Shubman Gill; selectors 'couldn't turn down his request'

Rahul Dravid saw something in Shubman Gill, and fast-tracked him even if it meant delaying some other youngster's rise momentarily.

Shubman Gill's rise as India's Test captain is not surprising. From a very early age, Gill was earmarked for greatness. Despite his batting struggles away from home, everyone around Gill – selectors, coaches, cricketers – have seen something in him that others haven't. Gill may have plenty of doubters at this point in time, but if there's one thing Indian cricket is about, it's looking ahead. The decision to appoint Gill as captain is not because of what he is now, but what the 25-year-old will become as both batter and leader.

Rahul Dravid, left, realised long ago that Shubman Gill is special(AFP)

Gill shot to fame in 2018, when India won the Under-19 World Cup under Prithvi Shaw, where he won the Player of the Tournament award. Less than a year later, he made his India debut against New Zealand. While it took Gill another two years to make his Test debut, when he did, the youngster caught everyone's attention with a swashbuckling innings of 91 at the Gabba, where India famously defeated Australia to clinch the series 2-1 and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

A lot of time has passed since. From being a promising youngster, Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma. But his skills and potential have been talked about as long as memory can recall. Gill's association with former India coach Rahul Dravid began during his Under-19 days, where they worked closely together. Before becoming head coach of the senior men's team, Dravid, as coach of the India A team, closely mentored Gill. In the same year that India won the U-19 World Cup, Dravid made a pivotal decision to fast-track Gill's career, prioritising his development while briefly delaying the rise of another promising Indian talent.

"Anmolpreet Singh had a great season, and one of the five selectors was bent on putting him on that flight. Anmol had runs in domestic cricket and his choice would have been justified. Now Rahul (Dravid), who was the NCA head and India A coach, had a request for the selectors," a former national selector told PTI.

"Rahul, everyone knows, is polite to a fault. He had just one request for the panel. He said, 'please select this boy Shubman and accommodate Anmol for another A tour'. We couldn't turn down his request and Shubman within months of U-19 World Cup triumph was in India A team."

The decision that changed Shubman Gill's career

Dravid has always been a visionary. Anmolpreet is a couple of years older than Gill, and while he amassed runs consistently, Shubman Gill possessed something extraordinary – impeccable technique paired with an unflappable temperament. At the elite level, these qualities weigh as heavily as a towering run tally. Dravid, with his keen eye for talent, recognised Gill's rare potential early on and was determined not to let him linger in domestic cricket.

Gill's standout performances for India A in England during a one-day tri-series backed Dravid's claim, but it was his monumental double hundred against West Indies A in a 'Test' match the following year that cemented his trajectory. From that moment, there was no turning back for the young prodigy.