“It took me four years to figure him out” - R Sai Kishore’s massive statement on Team India star after ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

2025 IPL - Mumbai Indians v Gujarat Titans - Source: Getty
Sai Kishore enjoyed a breakthrough IPL season with the ball this year [Credit: Getty]

Gujarat Titans (GT) and Team India left-arm spinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore hailed Shubman Gill, calling him one of the hardest batters to bowl at. Sai has played under Gill for GT over the last two IPL seasons.

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The youngster enjoyed his best season this year, picking up 19 wickets in 15 games at an average of 20.68. Meanwhile, Gill has gone from strength to strength with his batting over the years.

The 25-year-old is coming off an outstanding Test tour of England, where he led the side to a 2-2 draw in his first captaincy assignment. Gill led from the front, finishing as the leading run-scorer in the series with 754 runs at an average of over 75, including four centuries.

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Talking about the Indian Test captain in an interview with Sportstar, Sai Kishore said:

"Shubman is a prodigy. I’ve known him since he was 16. The first time we played him in Under-19s, he scored 260 in Patiala. Later in the Ranji Trophy, he got 270. Honestly, it took me four years to figure him out. I even went back to my coach, Ram Kumar, and said: There’s this guy who’s just smashing me around — what can I do? I had to change my trajectory and work on new things purely because of Shubman. I’ve told him this story too."
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Gill also flourished as GT's opener in IPL 2025, scoring 650 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87 in 15 outings.

"When the Indian team needed a leader, Shubman stepped in" - R Sai Kishore

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Sai Kishore praised Shubman Gill for stepping up as the Test captain despite minimal leadership experience. Team India appointed the youngster as the red-ball skipper after Rohit Sharma retired from Tests in the build-up to the England tour.

Gill had captained India in the lone T20I series in Zimbabwe in 2024 before the recent England series.

"He’s taken to captaincy like fish to water. Remember, he had never even captained Punjab because he was always with India. But when the Indian team needed a leader, Shubman stepped in. I’m very happy to see how naturally he’s adapted. Hopefully, in the coming years, he’ll grow into a proper leader," said Sai Kishore (via the aforementioned source).

The right-hander broke several records in his first Test series as captain, including scoring the most runs in an innings by an Indian batter in England and the highest Test score by an Indian skipper with his 269 at Edgbaston.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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