It has been the year when everything Shubman Gill touches turns to gold. In the 18 internationals that he has played for India since the start of this year, Gill has scored five centuries across formats which includes a record double-ton in ODIs, a maiden T20I century which shut talks over his T20 batting credentials and a century in the Border-Gavaskar series. The 23-year-old then continued his form in IPL 2023 where Gill emerged as the leading run-getter and came almost close to shattering Virat Kohli's iconic 2016 record with four stunning centuries. As the youngster gears up for the WTC final against Australia at The Oval, India great Murali Vijay made a blistering remark on the importance of Gill's place in the XI.
Gill's significant run in the ongoing WTC cycle began in the fag end of India's campaign. Having being picked for the tour of Bangladesh in November, Gill smashed his maiden hundred in Tests in the first match of the series in Chattogram and continued his form in the home series against Australia where he scored 128 in Ahmedabad.
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Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the WTC final which begins from June 7 onwards, Vijay was full of praise for Gill, hailing him as a 'superstar' and claiming that India will reap the benefit if the opener starts off well in both the innings.
"T20 cricket is a completely different format. In Tests, discipline is the key, especially with the shot selection. Shubman Gill is one of the most talented cricketers coming up in Indian cricket and an absolute superstar in his own way. I'm pretty sure, the mindset he has and the form he has carried over the last couple of months has been outstanding. All he needs to do is take it easy and express himself fully in England and give India a great start," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"T20 cricket is a completely different format. In Tests, discipline is the key, especially with the shot selection. Shubman Gill is one of the most talented cricketers coming up in Indian cricket and an absolute superstar in his own way. I'm pretty sure, the mindset he has and the form he has carried over the last couple of months has been outstanding. All he needs to do is take it easy and express himself fully in England and give India a great start," he said.
{{/usCountry}}This is not the first time Gill has been called a 'superstar' by Vijay. Back in March, the former India batter had told Hindustan Times that he enjoys watching the youngster bat and called him the "next batting superstar in India" alongside Prithvi Shaw.
"There are 15 superstars playing for India. If you are playing for India, you are already a superstar for me. But skill wise I really love Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw. They are top players," he had said.