India head coach Rahul Dravid has heaped praise on India opener Shubman Gil, saying hopefully he can be around the Indian team for a long time. Gill scored his second Test century in India’s first innings against Australia in the final Test of the four-match Border-Gavaskar series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“It’s been a really exciting 4-5 months for Shubman, just sort of breaking into the T20I side and scoring a hundred. Doing the same in one-day cricket and then capping that off with good performances in the last two Test matches. So, obviously, for us, it is really exciting for a young player to come through. He’s maturing and has been around the team for the last few years,” said Dravid.
The former India batter called Gill a lovely player and said it is great to see him take responsibility, insisting that this is a great sign for the team.Gill became the second youngest Indian opener after KL Rahul in 2015 to hit a Test hundred against Australia.
“It’s just great to see him taking on that responsibility and putting in the kind of performances that are up to the standards that are in demand. It’s a great sign for us and long may it continue. He’s a lovely player, who works very hard on his skills,” Dravid added.
He went on to say that it is a great opportunity for Gill to learn from the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith, adding that he hopes that Gill can be around the Indian setup for a long time. “It’s great to see and it is early days for him. It’s a great opportunity for him to learn from the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, to watch Steve Smith bat on the opposite side. Early days for him and hopefully he can be around Indian cricket for a long time,” said Dravid.
