"He's batted like that from the age of three"- Two-time IPL winner opens up on Shubman Gill’s hunger for batting amid ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

Former batter Robin Uthappa has claimed that India Test captain Shubman Gill was obsessed about batting and had to be dragged out of the nets when he was at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The 39-year-old added that he had observed a change in his thinking and how he spoke about batting over the last year.

Uthappa also said that Gill was aware of what worked for him as a batter and was in control and "passionately obssesed" about batting. He said on his YouTube channel:

"This kid (Gill) has worked so hard on his game but he's been obsessed about batting ever since I have seen him. I saw him first at the age of 18 when we played for KKR together. He would be the first guy into the net and the last guy dragged out of the net. Not just the last guy out, he'd have to be dragged out, saying 'We're done. Get out'. He's that kinda guy. He's batted like that from the age of three. I have seen the evolution of him as a human being and as an athlete at the same time between the age of 18 and 25.

"I did an interview with him in 2024 and an interview with him in 2025 and I can tell you just between '24 and '25 just the mentality and the shift in the thinking and the way he articulated his thinking about his batting has changed. It has gone up a notch, or maybe two notches. Here's a guy who is very cognizant of what works for him, very much in control, passionately obsessed with batting and being the leader."

The 25-year-old scored a match tally of 430 runs in the Edgbaston Test- the highest for an Indian batter in Test history. His performance in the first innings, when he made 269, was also the highest-ever score by an Indian captain in Tests.

Robin Uthappa praises Shubman Gill for staying in the zone while batting at Edgbaston

Shubman Gill made 269 and 161 in the first and the second innings of the Edgbaston Test, which went a long way in ensuring India had sufficient runs on the board. Robin Uthappa praised the batter for the way he stayed in the zone for an extensive period while batting at Birmingham.

"I think the sweetest part of that innings for me was the amount of time he spent in the zone. Generally, you spend maybe half a session, it seemed like he spent a session-and-a-half or two full sessions, being in that zone and recreating that zone and that for me is actually something. The fact that he was able to do that with the breaks involved, with managing fatigue, switching on and switching off and bringing himself back to the present. The amount of times it felt like he had an eternity before he played the ball was what stood out for me in both of those innings," Uthappa said.

Shubman Gill will play and lead India for the first time in a Test match against England at Lord's, when the third Test begins on Thursday, July 10.