Shubman Gill can be put in same league of white-ball openers like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan: Scott Styris

Indian opener Shubman Gill further staked a claim for the opening spot in the Indian white-ball team after a hugely impressive performance in the recently concluded ODI series against the West Indies. The 22-year-old garnered plaudits from former Kiwi international Scott Styris and ex-Indian cricketer Saba Karim for his recent performances.

Shubman Gill has been on the rise ever since catching the eye at the U19 level and has backed it with superb outings in the IPL. Still, in the nascent stage of his career, he has established himself as one of the most bankable players on the side and has shown maturity beyond his years. He was named the Player of the Series against the West Indies after scoring two half-centuries in three matches, including an unbeaten 98* in the final ODI.

Former BlackCaps all-rounder Scott Styris lavished high praise on the stylish batter, putting him in the same league as white-ball heavyweights like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul. Styris stated that while some holes in the young batter’s technique still exist, he has shown enough maturity and leadership skills.

“I still think there are holes in his game. What makes a world-class player is their mental thought process and their maturity and leadership. And I think he has that as well. And for that reason, yes you’re quite right you can keep him up there with the Rohit’s, KL Rahuls, and Shikhar’s in terms of openers,” Styris said to SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.

I’m sure Shubman Gill can do well at number three, number four: Saba Karim

Saba Karim, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter, also weighed in on Gill’s leadership skills and sees him in a leadership role for the Indian team in the future. He further stated that although the youngster has opened more often than not, he has the versatility to fit into any of the top three or four positions in the side, especially in the T20 format.

“He will gain experience, and as you rightly said, he has shown some leadership skills. So that will really do well for Shubman Gill in the future. One has seen him bat so well for India as an opener. But given the opportunity, I’m sure he can do well at number three, number four and I think mostly in the T20 format, you look at players who can bat number one, number two, and number three,” Saba Karim opined on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.