- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 12 Sep 2025 04:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Asia Cup 2025: India's T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill has finally revealed the one moment when he chose cricket as his career. The youngster, who is considered Virat Kohli's successor, has been recognized as an emerging talent since his early years.
During an interaction on an Apple Music podcast, Gill revealed that when he was 11 years old, he realised that he wanted to become a cricketer. He also talked about that during one of the practice games in the U23 game way back in 2010, where one team had one batter less, Gill batted as a lower-order batter.
Although the coaches were quite skeptical as he was playing those players who were twice his age, the youngster left everyone stunned and scored 90 runs. He revealed that it was at that time that he decided to become a cricketer.
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“Honestly, I realised this is going to be my career when I was 11. There was a camp going on for under-23 Indian fast bowlers, and I was only 11. Most of the players there were more than double my age, and they were a batsman short. One of my closest friends, Kush Pri, who I practiced with and who was in that camp as a fast bowler, asked the head coach if he could bring me in because they needed a batsman for the match," Shubman Gill was quoted as saying on the Apple Musix podcast.
"At first, they said, ‘Oh, he’s too young, he’s just 11, he won’t be able to play here.’ But Kush insisted, saying, ‘He plays with me, I bowl to him all the time, he can handle this.’ Eventually, they agreed," he added.
"I was batting way down the order at number seven or eight, but our first four or five batsmen got out within the first few overs. I went in to bat and ended up scoring 90-something not out. It was just a practice match, nothing official, but the confidence that moment gave me made me realise that this is what I am meant to do. That feeling is something I’ll never forget or be able to let go of, and it was such an important moment in my journey,” he concluded.
Shubman Gill's Rise in Indian Cricket
Shubman performed consistently in Indian domestic cricket, where he represented Punjab in under-16 and under-19 tournaments. His brilliant batting prowess and calm demeanour helped him reach where he is today.
He first grabbed everyone's attention way back in 2017 when he became the vice-captain of India's U-19 World Cup team. During that mega event, he left everyone stunned with his brilliant stroke play and his ability to perform well under pressure situations. He played a huge role in helping the team lift the trophy and also finished as the highest run-getter and received widespread recognition.
After that, he began performing well in senior domestic tournaments, where he played for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy. On the back of his consistent performances, he was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL. He proved his worth by often scoring consistently as a top-order batter against one of the world's best bowlers.
He made his international debut way back in 2020, where he was part of the Indian Test team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. His calm knock at the Gabba, on tricky surfaces, helped him solidify his position as a youngster. After that, he became a dependable opener for the Indian team and has now become the Test skipper as well.
He is being considered as a long-term prospect for captaincy across formats.