'It's always good for young players when the captain backs you' - Shubman Gill heaps praise on Virat Kohli

Shubman Gill had made the world watch when he played at the U19 Cricket World Cup in 2018. The Punjab player helped India to win the trophy and instantly became a known player around the domestic circles in India. Since then, he has grown from strength to strength. He has also made his ODI debut but he didn’t make a healthy contribution in those two matches.

Recently, Indian ODI vice-captain Rohit Sharma said that Gill has a tremendous future in the Indian cricket if he continues to play like this. In a recent interview, the 20-year-old opened up about the feeling he gets when such praises come and whether that adds to the pressure for him to perform.

“Yes, it always feels good when someone like Rohit Sharma says that. I don’t feel any added pressure because that’s how I am. I don’t feel any pressure when one compliments me or if someone is critical,” Gill said.

Kohli just tells me to keep doing stuff consistently: Shubman Gill

A few months ago, Indian captain, Virat Kohli had also said that he wasn’t 10 per cent good as Gill is at his age. The captain made his comment after watching the young batsman play in the nets. During the interaction, the Punjab boy also talked about the advantage of having someone like Kohli as their captain.

“Yes, it’s definitely an advantage when your captain wants you to go all-in and there is no pressure. You won’t feel that there is one per cent of your game that would be left when you are on the field so it’s always good for the young players when the captain backs you,” he said.

Upon being asked if he has had the pleasure of interacting the captain, Gill said: “I have interacted with him a couple of times. He just tells me to keep doing stuff that I am already doing and to have consistency on the field. Consistency is an important factor.”

The young batter is contracted with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He was expected to open the innings for them this season. However, due to the COVID-19 threat, the tournament was postponed. Speaking on the situation, he expressed his motivation for the tournament.

“Yes, that’s one more reason I am looking forward to playing the IPL (lockdown and suspension of cricketing action). But I think this time all the players would be more motivated than ever because it was a long break and coming back from the break everyone would want to make an impression”, Gill said.