Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill (born 8 September 1999) is an Indian international cricketer who is the captain of the India Test team. Gill is ranked the number one batter in the ODI rankings as of May 2025. Nicknamed as Prince of Indian Cricket and Kaka, Gill in domestic cricket, represents Punjab and captains the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. A right-handed top-order batter, Gill made his international debut for India in January 2019 against New Zealand.

In the ODI cricket, he is the fastest player to reach 2000 runs in 38 innings and 2500 runs in 50 innings. He also holds the record for the youngest cricketer to score a double century at the age of 23 in ODI as well . He made his List-A debut against Vidarbha in 2017 and first-class debut for Punjab against Bengal in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, scoring a half-century in the game, and 129 runs in the last match against Services.

As vice-captain of India's Under-19 team, Gill scored 372 runs at an average of 124.00 in the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, where he played a crucial role in India's fourth title win and earning the edition's Player of the Tournament award. His unbeaten 102 in the semi-final against Pakistan U-19 drew praise from batting greats such as Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly.

Early life

Gill was born on 8 September 1999 into a Punjabi Sikh family in village Chak Jaimal Singh Wala of Fazilka district, Punjab, India. His father, Lakhwinder Singh, is a farmer who aspired to become a cricketer. He has an elder sister named Shahneel Gill. He showed early promise in cricket, picking up a bat at the age of three. Recognising his interest in the game, Lakhwinder decided to train him, bowling 500 to 700 balls to him daily. In 2007, he moved the family to Mohali, near the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, to facilitate better training opportunities for Gill.

At the age of twelve, Gill's performance caught the attention of former Indian bowler Karsan Ghavri, who recommended that Gill attend the Under-19 all-India pace bowlers' camp. Gill faced U-19 bowlers in the nets, leading Ghavri to request PCA to put him into Punjab's U-14 team. He is a friend of Abhishek Sharma since childhood and they used to open the innings for Punjab in the under-14s. In an Inter-District Under-16 match against Amritsar, Gill, representing Mohali, scored 351 runs and shared a record opening stand of 587 runs with Nirmal Singh. At the age of 14, he scored a double-century on his Under-16 debut for Punjab in the Vijay Merchant Trophy.

Domestic career

Gill made his List A debut for Punjab in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 25 February 2017 against Vidharbha, during which he scored 11 runs before being run out. In his second match against Assam, he scored his maiden List A century, scoring 121 runs off 129 balls. His first-class debut came against Bengal in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy on 17 November 2017. Later in the same month, in his second first-class match, he scored his maiden century while batting for Punjab against Services. He scored 129 runs off 142 balls.

In October 2018, Gill was named in India C's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy. In the final round-robin match against India A, he scored an unbeaten century, helping send India C through to the final. The following month, he was named as one of the eight players to watch ahead of the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy by ''ESPNcricinfo''. In December 2018, during the match against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy, Gill scored his maiden double century in first-class cricket, scoring 268 runs. On 25 December 2018, on the fourth day of the match against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy, with Punjab needing 338 runs from 57 overs, Gill scored 148 off 154 balls, almost single-handedly taking his side to victory. The match finished as a draw, with Punjab ending the run chase at 324/8 in 57 overs. In the match against Bengal, Gill surpassed 1,000 runs in first-class cricket in his fifteenth innings. He was the leading run-scorer for Punjab in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy, with 728 runs in five matches.

In August 2019, Gill was named as the captain of the India Blue team for the 2019–20 Duleep Trophy. In October 2019, he was selected as the captain of the India C team for the 2019–20 Deodhar Trophy. In November 2019, he became the youngest cricketer to lead a side in a final of the tournament. He was 20 years and 57 days old, beating Virat Kohli's record, who was 21 years 124 days old during the 2009–10 tournament.

In September 2022, Gill was signed up by Glamorgan as their overseas player for the remainder of the 2022 County Championship season. He debuted at the Sophia ground against Worcestershire.

International career

In December 2016, Gill was part of the Indian U-19 team for the 2016 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, where he emerged as the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament, behind teammate Himanshu Rana. India won the tournament by defeating Sri Lanka U-19 in the final, with Gill scoring 70 runs off 92 balls. In February 2017, he played a key role in the team's series win against England U-19. In December 2017, he was named vice captain of India's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. In the semifinal against Pakistan U-19, Gill scored 102 * runs off 94 balls, earning him the title of Player of the Match. India defeated Australia U-19 in the final, securing their 4th title. He had a successful tournament, leading the team in runs scored with 372 runs and was also named the player of the tournament. Following India's matches in the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Gill as the rising star of the squad.

In January 2019, Gill was selected for India's squad for the limited-overs series against New Zealand. On 31 January 2019, he made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India, playing in the fourth ODI match of the series against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton. In August 2019, Gill set a record as the youngest Indian batsman to score a double century in a first-class match. At the age of 19 years and 334 days, he scored 204 runs for India A against West Indies A at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago. The following month, he was selected in India's Test squad for their series against South Africa, but did not play. In December 2019, Gill was named as the captain of India A squad for their tour of New Zealand. In February 2020, he was once again named in India's Test squad, this time for their series against New Zealand.

Gill made his Test debut for India on 26 December 2020 in the 2020 Border–Gavaskar Trophy, contributing to India's comeback win in the second match of the series. In the fourth Test at the Gabba, he scored 91 runs off 146 balls, playing a crucial role in India's series win. In the 2021 England tour of India, Gill scored 119 runs in four matches, including a half-century in the second innings of the first match. India won the 4-match Test series 3–1. Gill was part of the Indian squad for the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand. India lost the match, with Gill scoring 28 runs off 64 balls in the first innings and 8 runs off 33 balls in the second innings. In November 2021, during New Zealand's tour of India, Gill scored 144 runs in the 2-match Test series and was the fourth-highest run-scorer of the series. India won the series 1–0.

In July 2022, during India's tour of West Indies and USA, Gill scored 205 runs in three matches, including a 98 not out in the third ODI. He was the highest run-scorer of the series. India whitewashed West Indies 3-0 and Gill won the Player of the Series award. On 22 August 2022, during the third match of the ODI series against Zimbabwe, Gill scored his first ODI century for the Indian national team. He emerged as the series' top run-scorer and was awarded the Player of the Series award. India clinched the series with a 3–0 victory. During South Africa's tour of India in October 2022, Gill contributed 80 runs across three matches and was the fourth highest run-scorer of the ODI series, helping India secure a 2–1 victory. In November 2022, in the ODI series against New Zealand, Gill was the third highest run-scorer of the series, scoring 108 runs including a half-century in the first match. In December 2022, during the first Test match of the series against Bangladesh, he scored his first Test century, tallying 110 runs.

Gill made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut on 3 January 2023, against Sri Lanka. He scored seven runs from five balls in that match. In the ODI series, Gill scored 207 runs and was the second highest run-scorer of the series behind Virat Kohli. On 18 January 2023, in the first match of the series against New Zealand, Gill scored a double century, tallying a total of 208 runs. He became the fifth Indian batsman to hit a double century in ODIs, and he is currently the youngest batsman to score a double century in ODIs in men's international cricket. In the third match, Gill scored his maiden T20I century, scoring an unbeaten 126 off 63 balls, and became the 5th Indian batsman to score a century in all formats of international cricket. He also holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in men's T20Is.

On 9 March 2023, Gill scored his second Test century in the fourth match of the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India retained the trophy by winning the series 2–1. Gill was part of the Indian squad for the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final against Australia. He scored 13 runs off 15 balls in the first innings and 18 runs off 19 balls in the second innings. India lost the final for the second consecutive time. During the 2023 India tour of West Indies and USA, Gill was the second-highest run-scorer in the ODI series, behind Ishan Kishan.

Gill was selected for the Indian squad in the 2023 Asia Cup. In the match against Bangladesh, he scored his fifth ODI hundred, reaching 121 runs. India won the tournament by defeating Sri Lanka in the final, with Gill emerging as the highest run-scorer of the tournament, tallying 302 runs. In the 2023 Cricket World Cup, Gill missed the first two matches due to suffering from dengue. He returned in the third match against Pakistan. In the match against New Zealand, Gill became the fastest batsman to reach 2000 runs in ODIs, achieving this milestone in 38 innings and surpassing the previous record of 40 innings held by South African batsman Hashim Amla. India lost the final against Australia. Gill scored 354 runs in nine matches.

In May 2024, he was named as a reserve player in India's squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.

In June 2024, he was named as the captain of India series against Zimbabwe. He captained the Indian Cricket Team for the first time.

In February 2025, at the ICC Champions Trophy, Gill entered the tournament as the highest ranked ODI Batter. He scored an unbeaten 101 to guide India to victory in the first group game against Bangladesh.

Franchise career

2018–2021: Kolkata Knight Riders

In January 2018, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for in the 2018 IPL auction. He made his Twenty20 debut for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2018 Indian Premier League on 14 April 2018. Gill scored 203 runs in the 2018 season as KKR finished third, losing in Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In March 2019, he was named as one of eight players to watch by the International Cricket Council (ICC) ahead of the 2019 Indian Premier League tournament. Gill scored 296 runs in the 2019 season as KKR finished fifth. He also won the Emerging Player of the tournament award in the 2019 Indian Premier League.

In 2020, Gill scored 440 runs, making him the highest scoring player for KKR that season. The team would however finish fifth once again.

During the 2021 edition of the IPL, Gill scored 478, being KKR's highest scorer once again. KKR reached the final where Gill would score a half-century, however, the team would ultimately lose to CSK, coming second. After the announcement of two new teams entering the league, each team was allowed to retain up to 4 players but Gill was not retained.

2022–present: Gujarat Titans

Ahead of the 2022 IPL auction, Gill was drafted by the newly formed Gujarat Titans franchise for . Gill would score 483 runs in 2022, and the Titans would defeat Rajasthan Royals to win the 2022 IPL in their inaugural year.

In the 2023 season, Gill scored 890 runs, becoming the second highest run scorer ever in a single IPL season and winning the orange cap. Gill became the fourth man to score back to back centuries, 101 against the SRH and 104* against RCB. In Qualifier 2 versus MI, Gill achieved the season's highest individual score of 129 off 60 balls and the record of highest ever score in an IPL playoffs match and second most centuries in an IPL season at 3. While Gill played in his third consecutive final, the Titans lost to the Chennai Super Kings.

International centuries

Gill has made 14 international centuries- 5 in Test cricket, 8 in One Day International (ODI) and 1 in Twenty20 international (T20I).

Test centuries

ODI centuries

T20I centuries

Filmography

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Shubman
1999 births
Living people
Indian cricketers
India Test cricketers
India One Day International cricketers
Indian A cricketers
Kolkata Knight Riders cricketers
21st-century Indian sportsmen
People from Fazilka district
Punjab, India cricketers
Gujarat Titans cricketers
Indian cricket captains