Former India captain Sourav Ganguly urged the team management to pick uncapped batsman Shubman Gill for the remaining matches in New Zealand.
India registered yet another comprehensive win on Monday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match One-day International series. Rising star Gill who earned his first call-up to the Indian squad after Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul received provisional suspensions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India following their sexist comments on TV show Koffee with Karan.
“I think they should play Shubman Gill,” Ganguly told India.TV in a post-match chat show. “He certainly deserves a chance in the team. He should play the rest of the series. Who knows, India might get another good player for the World Cup.”
The 19-year-old was in imperious for for his state side Punjab in the Ranji Trophy recently. He also enjoyed a good start to his Indian Premier League career with Kolkata Knight Riders last season as a middle-order batsman.
“Virat Kohli has also said that he didn’t bat like Gill when he was his age, which is a great thing to say for a captain,” Ganguly added.
India captain Kohli heaped praise on Gill after the third ODI in Mount Maunganui. “Shubman, again, is a very exciting talent,” Kohli said. “I saw him bat in the nets and I was like, ‘wow I was not even ten per cent of that when I was 19.’”
Kohli had hinted that Gill would be handed opportunites: “That’s the confidence that they carry and it is great for Indian cricket if the standard keeps going up and the guys coming in can make impact performances straight away and we would be more than happy to give them the chances and help then grow.”
Gill shot to fame last year, scoring 418 runs during India U-19’s World Cup win in New Zealand. He was also adjudged the Player-of-the-tournament.