"Can Become An All-Format Player": Ex India Star Backs Youngster to 'Rule' World Cricket Like Virat Kohli

Former Indian cricket team all-rounder Irfan Pathan lauded Shubman Gill for his batting performance against New Zealand in the third T20I encounter and backed the youngster to excel in all three formats of the sport. It has been a brilliant couple of months for Gill as he slammed a double century in ODIs and on Wednesday, he became the youngest Indian cricketer in history to score a T20I ton as he surpassed the record held by Suresh Raina since 2010. Pathan said that Gill can follow the example of Virat Kohli and become a force to be reckoned with in world cricket. 

"The way he is batting, I am a huge fan of his. I am repeatedly saying that he can become an all-format player for you. Virat Kohli ruled all formats for many years, this batter has as much potential. To convert that into performance is a different thing," Pathan told Star Sports. 

Gill slammed 12 boundaries and 7 massive sixes as he scored 126 off just 63 deliveries. He dominated the Kiwi bowlers and even stitched together crucial partnerships with both Rahul Tripathi and Hardik Pandya. Later, Pandya shone with the ball as well as he claimed four wickets to guide the hosts to a mammoth 168-run victory to clinch the three-matches series 2-1 in Ahmedabad. 

"That happens with time but Shubman Gill has started to do that. He scored his first century in August. Gill has now scored a total of six centuries in international cricket and we have just started February, where all other players have scored just four international centuries," Pathan added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Irfan Pathan Shubman Gill India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Virat Kohli India vs New Zealand, 2023 Cricket