Shubman Gill, the newly-appointed India Test skipper, is on his way to becoming the poster boy of Indian cricket. The crown belonged to Virat Kohli for a long period of time, but his retirement from Tests and T20Is has seen his presence in Indian cricket being reduced considerably. Gill, with the responsibility of Test captain, ODI vice-captaincy, and T20I vice-captaincy, has seen his stocks soar over the last few months. Despite the success he is enjoying, Gill is someone who doesn't forget his roots. In a podcast, the India Test skipper recalled the early days when he idolised Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
Gill has occupied the spot of Rohit Sharma in India's T20I team and replaced the Hitman as India's Test skipper. But he sees Tendulkar and Kohli as his idols.
"I have had two idols. The first one was Sachin Tendulkar. He was my dad's favorite, and I actually got into cricket because of him. He retired in 2013, and around 2011-2013 was when I really started to understand cricket properly, not just the skills, but also the mental and tactical side of the game," he said in a podcast on Apple Music.
"That was also the time I began following Virat Kohli closely. I loved watching the way he went about his business, the sheer passion he had for the game, and the hunger he carried. You can learn all the skills and all the technique, but hunger is something you either have or you don't. Virat had it in abundance, and that really inspired me," he added.
With No Rohit or Kohli in the Indian team, Gill has the responsibility of not just assisting skipper Suryakumar in India's T20I team but also lead the way with the bat, having replaced Sanju Samson as India's second opener, alongside Abhishek Sharma.