Rising India star Shubman Gill didn’t have an ideal debut for the national team back in 2019 when during an ODI against New Zealand in Hamilton, he was dismissed for 9. To make it worse, India were bowled out for a paltry 92 as New Zealand chased down the target in 14.4 overs for an eight-wicket win.
CricketNext Poll: Pick Your Strongest Team India Playing XI
The then 19-year-old Gill was left quite disappointed over his early dismissal and he recalled how a the legendary MS Dhoni consoled him afterwards, a gesture that left quite an impact on the teenager.
“On my debut, we got bowled out for 90 (92) and I made 9. I was sitting mulling over getting out early, we lost the match as well,” Gill recalled on TV show Dil Diyan Gallan.
He continued, “Mahi (Dhoni) bhai saw that I’m sad. I was 19 back then. And he said, ‘Don’t worry, at least your debut was better than mine!’. Because on his debut, he was out for a duck without facing a delivery – he got run out. Then he started joking around. My mood improved. A guy won’t expect a player of his stature would take such a load to help out a newbie. So, I really loved his gesture and thought I have to be like him.”
In conversation with Sonam Bajwa, Shubman Gill recalls his debut match against NZ and MS Dhoni’s kind gesture towards him. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NJ9rwKaqa9— Shubman Gill FC (@shubmangillfans) November 18, 2022
Dhoni made his debut against Bangladesh in December 2004 but he was run out for a duck without facing a delivery. In fact, in his first four innings, he managed a total of 22 runs before announcing himself with a magnificent 148 against Pakistan in Vizag.
Also Read: Bhuvi on Verge of Scripting History
Gill himself has recovered from that unremarkable debut and is steadily establishing himself as a premier batter across formats. In 12 ODIs, the 23-year-old has scored 579 runs at 57.90 including one century and three half-centuries.
Currently, he’s part of India’s limited-overs tour of New Zealand where they will be played in three T20Is and as many ODIs. The first T20I between the two teams though was washed out by rain on Friday and there are chances of weather impacting the second game as well.
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here
Comments
0 comment