He’s not the next somebody he’s the first Shubman Gill, don’t compare him to anyone: Wasim Jaffer

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has urged the netizens to not compare Shubman Gill to some other player and put unwanted pressure on the youngster. The 21-year-old Gill made his Test debut in the second MCG Test and scored 80 runs.

In the second innings, he stayed unbeaten on 35 runs, hitting seven fours and almost played at a strike-rate of a run-a-ball.  Jaffer doesn’t want Gill to be overburdened due to ‘unreal expectations’.

Rather, he hopes for him to make his own identity in the cricket world. The veteran asked the Indian fans to set Shubman free and let him enjoy his game to the fullent, playing to the best of his potentiality.

Shubman Gill is special, writes Jaffer

Jaffer took to Twitter and wrote, “Shubman is special but please let him enjoy his cricket and grow into his career. Don’t compare him to anyone and put undue pressure on him. He’s not the next somebody he’s first Shubman Gill. We’ve lost many great talents due to undue pressure and unreal expectations. #Shubmangill.”

Here’s the tweet-

Shubman is special but please let him enjoy his cricket and grow into his career. Don't compare him to anyone and put undue pressure on him. He's not next somebody he's first Shubman Gill. We've lost many great talents due to undue pressure and unreal expectations. #Shubmangill

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) December 29, 2020

In the first innings of the Melbourne Test, fast bowler Pat Cummins beat his outside edge quite a few times with deliveries that the keeper collected above his shoulders. But instead of bogging down, Gill absorbed the pressure and scored 45 runs off 65 balls with eight fours. It eventually was Cummins, who got rid of him after the batsman played a loose stroke outside the off-stump.

Going into the Sydney Test, Rohit Sharma is in line to make his Test return after recovering from the hamstring injury. If the 33-year-old returns, Shubman’s fate in the Indian batting line-up remains to be seen. Gill has an incredible first-class record, scoring at an average of nearly 70. He also has 11 fifties to show for his efforts, scoring 2,350 runs from 24 matches.

Gill came to the fore after he became the Player of the Tournament in the 2018 U19 World Cup in New Zealand. In the same year, Kolkata Knight Riders picked him for the Indian Premier League. In 2019, the right-hander made his international debut in the tour of New Zealand after Virat Kohli went on a short break.