Sourav Ganguly thinks Shubman Gill resembles Lara and Williamson

What's the story?

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been so impressed by India Under-19's top order batsman Shubman Gill that he has rated him in the same league as former West Indies skipper Brian Lara and New Zealand's incumbent captain Kane Williamson.

“I feel he is the best player in this team. He is a bit like Brian Lara and Kane Williamson,” Ganguly went on to tell India Today.

In case you didn't know...

Gill, still only 18, has attracted more attention during the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand than any other batsman, including his captain Prithvi Shaw, who many experts believe to be the next batting mainstay for India. In four innings in the tournament, Gill has crossed fifty every time he has batted: scores of 63, 90*, 86 and 102* against Australia, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively, have all come in winning causes.

The right-handed batsman, who can open the innings with the same ability, has often thanked his coach and former India captain Rahul Dravid for his rise.

"He always tells me don't hit the ball in the air and play along the ground," Gill said after winning the Man of the Match award against Pakistan in the semi-final yesterday.

The heart of the matter

Aside from comparing Gill with greats like Lara and Williamson, the 45-year-old Ganguly went on to say that he found the Punjab boy better than captain Shaw.

"I actually feel Shubman Gill is a better player than Prithvi Shaw,” he argued.

“Even Ishan Porel, who plays for Bengal, created havoc with the new ball. He was injured at the start of the tournament and couldn't play for a week. It's great to see him back, get fit and come and bowl so well. They are special these kids," Ganguly said, heaping praise on Porel, who claimed 4/17 as India thrashed Pakistan by 203 runs to book their place in the final.

What's next?

The final of the twelfth edition of the Under-19 World Cup takes place at Queenstown on February 3 with India's opponents being a strong Australia unit, although India were victorious when the teams had met in the group stages of the tournament. That remains Australia's only loss so far, having defended a score as paltry as 127 against England in the Quarter-Final.

Author's Take

A morale-boosting statement from someone of the stature of Ganguly, who captained the senior India side for 5 years, can act as a huge boost for the young Gill before facing Australia in the final. As with any other match, stability from the top order will define the result of the game.