"He's not the next somebody, he's the first Shubman Gill" - Wasim Jaffer

Former Indian opener and batting great Wasim Jaffer has hailed Shubman Gill as special and urged the cricketing folklore to shape his own identity.

Shubman is special but please let him enjoy his cricket and grow into his career. Don't compare him to anyone and put undue pressure on him. He's not next somebody he's first Shubman Gill. We've lost many great talents due to undue pressure and unreal expectations. #Shubmangill

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) December 29, 2020

"Shubman is special but please let him enjoy his cricket and grow into his career. Don’t compare him to anyone and put undue pressure on him. He’s not the next somebody he’s first Shubman Gill. We’ve lost many great talents due to undue pressure and unreal expectations. #Shubmangill," Wasim Jaffer wrote on Twitter.

Gill, who had replaced his former Under-19 captain Prithvi Shaw in the Indian playing XI, impressed everyone with his tremendous batting abilities. His sense to time the ball with perfection and his steady temperament against one of the best fast bowling attacks of the current era has impressed the cricket fraternity.

Shubman Gill had a dream debut at the MCG

Shubman Gill played some cracking shots at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which included authoritative straight-drives and sumptuous cover-drives during his debut game.

Despite India losing a couple of early wickets in Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara in both innings, the youngster continued to play his shots with utmost poise and confidence. He eventually stayed unbeaten at a 36-ball 35 in the end as India overhauled the target with eight wickets to level the Border-Gavaskar series 1-1.

Overcoming all the odds. Strong showing by the team at MCG. Thank you to all the fans for your support 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/XNxbH1pj0h

— Shubman Gill (@RealShubmanGill) December 29, 2020

With no Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, and the humiliation of getting bundled out for 36 at the Adelaide Oval, India produced a brilliant turnaround to level the series.

The win brought India right back into the series and took them a step closer to securing a spot in the final of the ICC World Test Championship.

What did you make of Shubman Gill's impressive debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground? Do you agree with Wasim Jaffer's comments? Sound off in the comments.