5 interesting comments made by Shubman Gill in recent podcast appearance amid Asia Cup 2025

Since making his debut in 2019, Shubman Gill has enjoyed a meteoric rise in international cricket. The 26-year-old is currently fulfilling the role of vice-captain in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025.

The right-handed batter has played 114 matches across formats, scoring 6,020 runs at an average of 46.30, including 25 fifties and 18 centuries. Gill recently appeared on a YouTube podcast with Apple Music, which was released on Thursday, September 11.

During the conversation, he touched on a range of topics, from his early days in cricket to his go-to music, and even discussed his trademark “bow down” celebration. On that note, here are five interesting comments made by Shubman Gill during his recent podcast appearance.

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#1 “Because my highest score is there” - Shubman Gill reveals his favourite England ground post-2025 Test series

Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s Test captain ahead of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England. He led India to a thrilling 2-2 draw in the five-match series, with every game going down to the final day. Gill also finished as the top run-scorer, accumulating 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, including four centuries.

During the podcast, Gill was asked to name his favourite cricket ground in England, and he chose Birmingham. The right-handed batter recorded his highest Test score at the venue during the England series, making 269 in the first innings and following it up with 161 in the second, helping India secure a 336-run victory, their first-ever win at the ground. Shubman Gill said:

“I would say Birmingham now because my highest Test score is there. So, Birmingham, my all-time favorite uh TV show is Peaky Blinders. So, Birmingham. But honestly, when I was in that moment, I felt I was so locked in that I didn't realize it, only after we finished the match. And because it was our first time that we won on that ground, India had never won in Birmingham before that.”

“So prior to that match, we had a press conference and a journalist asked me, what chances do you give yourself going into this match because India’s never won on this ground. To be able to tell him before the match, 'That doesn't matter, it's my first time here, so let's see how it goes.' That's how it went. So, it felt pretty amazing,” he added.

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#2 India Test captain names his cricketing inspirations

Shubman Gill also revealed his cricketing idols, naming former legend Sachin Tendulkar and veteran batter Virat Kohli. He said:

“I have had two idols. The first one was Sachin. He was my dad's favorite, and I got into cricket because of him. He retired in 2013. Around 2011, 2012, 2013 was actually when I started to have real knowledge about cricket: like how the game works, more than just skill, like mental and tactical.”

“I loved watching Virat bhai, Virat Kohli, how he used to go about his business and just the sheer passion that he had for the game and the real hunger. Because passion and hunger is one thing; you can learn all the skills, all the techniques, and all of that, but hunger is something that you can't learn. Either you have it in you, or you don’t. And it was something that he had so much, and it really inspired me,” he added.

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#3 “That moment and that innings” - Shubman Gill reflects on the turning point of his cricket career

During the podcast, Shubman Gill also shared a fascinating anecdote from the early days of his career. Gill recalled a game he played at the age of 11 during the U-23 Indian fast bowlers’ camp, where he scored an unbeaten 90-odd. That performance convinced him that cricket could be his future career. He said:

“Honestly, I realized this is going to be my career when I was 11. Like, a moment happened. There was a camp going on of under-23 Indian fast bowlers, and I was only 11. So they were more than double my age, most of the players there, and they were a batsman short. One of my really good friends, one of my closest friends who I practiced with, Kushpreet, was in that camp. He was a fast bowler and he asked the head coach if he could get me because we were a batsman short and we were playing a match.”

“So they asked me to come, but then they were like, 'Oh, he's too… like, he's too young. He's 11, he's 11, he's too young. He won't be able to play here.' But he said, 'He plays with me. I bowl to him and he can play me, so he can play here as well.' They were like, 'Okay,’” he added.

The 26-year-old continued:

“And then I was batting way down the order, like at number seven or eight. Our first four or five batsmen got out within four or five overs, and then I went in to bat and scored 90-something not out. That moment and that innings, like, it was just a practice match, nothing, but the confidence that moment gave me is what made me realize, okay, this is… this is like, I'm meant to do this.”

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#4 “Dad kind of had a falling out with the academy coach” - Shubman Gill shares challenges from his cricket journey

India T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill also spoke about the hurdles he encountered in the early stages of his cricketing journey. He remembered a disagreement between his father, Lakhwinder Singh, and his academy coach, which forced him to wake up at 3 a.m. to complete his practice sessions without overlapping with the coach’s timings. The 26-year-old shared:

“During one of the initial phases, my dad kind of had a falling out with the academy coach that we were enrolled in, and he kicked us out from the academy. That academy was like a public academy, not a private academy, right? The coach used to have his sessions from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning and then from 4:00 to 6:00 in the evening.”

“So my dad used to wake me up at 3:00 to practice from 3:00 to 6:00 before he came. I used to wake up at 3:00, practice from 3:00 to 6:00, then go to school. Then I’d take a half day when the coach would finish his academy at around 11:00 a.m. or so. Then I’d come back and practice from 11 till 3, and then he’d come back again,” he added.

Gill continued:

“We did this for a couple of years. I don’t have any bad memories or anything like that, but this phase was a little challenging, waking up at 3:00 every day in the morning. Sometimes, as a kid, you just don’t want to wake up. But I’m very grateful that my dad kept me pushing through it.”

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#5 Shubman Gill shares the reason behind his trademark bow-down celebration

During the interaction, Shubman Gill also revealed that he had no intention of starting the iconic bow-down celebration when he first did it in 2022. It just naturally stuck with him. Shubman Gill said:

“Honestly, like, that celebration just came naturally. I had no intention of doing it, and I had not planned it. I had never done it before that. But my first international century that I scored was in Zimbabwe, Harare, in 2022. It's just, like, I just did it in that moment and kind of then stuck with it.”

The 26-year-old is scheduled to return to the field when India face Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 encounter on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai.