Shubman Gill can lead an IPL side at 22-23: Simon Doull

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull reckons that Shubman Gill has the potential to lead an Indian Premier League (IPL) team at the age of 22-23. The youngster is currently 21 years old is playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in only his third IPL season. He started with a low score against Mumbai Indians (MI) but made amends against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

In KKR’s second game, he notched an unbeaten 70, guiding his team through to a seven-wicket victory in Abu Dhabi. Even against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), the Young Turk notched a 34-ball 47 before top-edging one off Jofra Archer. Doull lauded Shubman for the maturity he has shown thus far in the ongoing T20 tournament.

Shubman Gill can learn a lot, feels Doull

“It was a perfect score for Shubman (against Sunrisers Hyderabad) to get into this tournament. He didn’t score much in the first match. He needed a score to get started and when you are chasing only 143, you could play your natural game.

“It will hold him in good stead moving forward. In the match against SRH, he timed the innings superbly. He needed to be there and show the maturity that he can bat through and win for his team,” Doull was quoted as saying in Cricbuzz.

As per Doull, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan and Brendon McCullum in the KKR camp can do Shubman a world of good.

“I won’t be surprised if we see him leading an IPL side two years down the line at the ripe age of 22-23. I think he should spend a lot of time with Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan and pick their brains. He also has Brendon McCullum, one of the most innovative captains in the last 7-9 years. I think he can learn a lot if he is around these guys,” he added.

Gill came to the fore in the 2018 U19 World Cup where he became the Player of the Tournament. He scored a century against Pakistan in the semi-final and didn’t flatter to deceive. Thereafter, the Knights roped him and in 2019, he made debut for India on the New Zealand tour where he played a couple of ODIs in Virat Kohli’s absence.