“He’s a super talent” - Nasser Hussain picks young Indian batter as a future legend

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has predicted that young Indian batter Shubman Gill has it in him to become a future legend of men’s cricket. While reviewing the cricketer’s performances in 2023, Hussain hailed Gill as a "super talent".

Gill, 24, was the leading run-getter in ODIs in 2023. He played 29 matches and smashed 1584 runs at an average of 63.36 and a strike rate of 105.45 with five hundreds and nine fifties. The right-handed batter also slammed a double hundred, scoring a sublime 208 off 149 balls against New Zealand in Hyderabad. The youngster also scored a ton each in the Test and T20I formats.

In a video on ICC’s Instagram handle, Hussain shared his thoughts on the next generation of cricket superstars. Speaking about Gill, he commented:

“The men, I am going to go with Shubman Gill. I think he had a very good three quarters, nine-tenths of 2023. He must have learned so much having the likes of Rohit Sharma at the other end.

"It just fell away maybe at the end. Maybe that illness just got to him a little and his form (dipped) just in a month. We take it far too short when we are in the broadcasting world. He’s a super talent and he’s going to be the next sensation for India for years to come. So hopefully, he’ll have a good 2024,” the 55-year-old added.

After recovering from dengue, Gill had a decent World Cup, scoring 354 runs in nine matches at an average of 44.25 and a strike rate 106.94. He, however, struggled in the T20Is in South Africa and registered scores of two and 26 in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion.

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“He was a revelation” - Hussain on Rachin Ravindra

Apart from Gill, Hussain is also highly impressed with young New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra. The latter took the World Cup by storm, smashing 578 runs in 10 innings at an average of 64.22 and a strike rate of 106.45 with three hundreds.

Praising the left-hander, Hussain commented:

“Going into that World Cup, I’d seen him in England a bit. He came in at Lord’s down the order and smashed it around and I thought, crikey, he can play. And then, they moved him up to the top of the order and he was a revelation. So, Rachin Ravindra, hopefully he can continue his progression.”

Ravindra, 24, has played three Tests, 25 ODIs and 18 T20Is so far, scoring 73, 820 and 145 runs, respectively. He has also picked up 32 wickets across formats with his left-arm spin.