“He can carry forward the legacy set by Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar” – Saba Karim on Shubman Gill

Former India selector Saba Karim has praised Shubman Gill for his tremendous form in ODIs ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

He reckons that the youngster can carry forward the legacy set by Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli and become India’s backbone in the future. The veteran, though, added that Gill is yet to prove his mettle in overseas conditions.

Speaking on India News, Karim said:

“The temperament is good. He can carry forward the legacy set by Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. The biggest test is overseas conditions. Gill’s track in England wasn’t that good when he played Tests. We hope that he becomes the backbone of Indian batting.”

He added:

“We are witnessing such a skill after a long time. In the future, we have to check how he performs against tough opponents. We have to test him in difficult conditions and quality pace bowlers, but the start has been phenomenal.”

The 23-year-old scored 360 runs in the three-match series against New Zealand, which India won 3-0. Gill’s last six scores read - 112, 40*, 208, 116, 21 and 70.

In 2022, Gill amassed 638 runs in 12 ODIs at an average of 70.89, including a ton and four half-centuries.

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“He looks mature with the bat” – Saba Karim on Shubman Gill

Karim also labelled Shubman Gill as a mature batter. He also pointed out the skills that make Gill stand out from the rest.

“There are a lot of things about Shubman Gill’s batting. He looks mature with the bat. By maturity, I mean game awareness, reading the game, playing different shots against bowlers, focusing on shot selection, how to run the scoreboard and complementing the partner when needed.”

Gill has been included in the India squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand, which starts in Ranchi on Friday (January 27). He will look to carry on his blistering form in T20Is.

India’s T20I squad against New Zealand: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar