Shubman Gill is ready for international cricket, reckons MSK Prasad

MSK Prasad, chairman of India’s selection panel, has said that the selectors consulted Rahul Dravid before selecting Shubman Gill for the tour of New Zealand. Gill along with Vijay Shankar was named as replacements for KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya after the duo was sent home due to their comments on a popular talk show. Both Pandya and Rahul have been suspended by the BCCI from all the formats pending an inquiry.

Gill has been on the selectors’ radar for quite some time now. And while he earned his maiden international call-up in unexpected circumstances, there is little denying that he thoroughly deserved it. The right-handed batsman from Punjab is one of the most sought after youngsters in the country and has been termed as the next big thing in the Indian cricket team. There is no doubt that he is an amazing batting talent. The only question was whether he was ready for the highest level of the game and Dravid thinks the 19-year-old is.

Prasad said that Gill is ready for international cricket and is being considered for the position of a reserve opener after the selection panel got the assurance from Dravid, the India A coach.

“Shubman is comfortable both opening the innings as well as playing in the middle-order. For New Zealand series, we are looking at him as the reserve opener behind Shikhar (Dhawan) and Rohit (Sharma). I won’t comment if he will make it to World Cup but he was phenomenal as an opener for India A in New Zealand,” Prasad said.

“We have discussed with Rahul (Dravid), that Shubman is ready for international cricket. The best part is the clutch of A tours which has made all these players battle ready for the biggest challenge,” the chief selector added.

Also read- 10 Interesting facts that you should know about Shubman Gill

Gill’s meteoric rise

Gill has not looked back since starring in India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign in New Zealand last year. He slammed 372 runs at an average of 124 and bagged the Man of the Tournament award. The performance helped him earn an IPL deal as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought him for INR 1.8 crore. In the IPL, he scored 203 runs including a match-winning fifty against eventual winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

He then impressed for India A before putting up a sizzling show in the ongoing season of Ranji Trophy, scoring 728 runs in just 5 games at an average of over 100.

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