India captain Shubman Gill credited his father for shaping his cricket career while launching the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League. He revealed his father runs a free cricket academy in their village. Gill will next lead India in the crucial Test series against Sri Lanka.
India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill has opened up about his father, Lakhwinder Singh Gill’s role in shaping his cricketing career. Gill has risen through the ranks of U19 cricket and domestic circuits to become a cornerstone of India’s batting lineup and national leadership in Tests and ODIs.
Making his international debut in an ODI match against New Zealand in 2019, Shubman has since established himself as one of the premier opening batters in world cricket, delivering match-winning performances across all three formats. Currently, the 26-year-old is only part of the Test and ODI setup and not the T20I squad, allowing him to focus heavily on anchoring India's red-ball and 50-over formats.
Shubman Gill has recently launched anew T20 league, the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League, where is expected to feature alongside his national teammates Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma, adding star power to the newly unveiled tournament alongside fellow state icons to promote grassroots talent in the region.
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Shubman Gill Recalls Father’s Impact Behind His Success
Speaking at the press conference during the unveiling of the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, Shubman Gill reflected on how his father's lifelong dream and untiring efforts laid the foundation for his path to international cricket. He also revealed his father runs a free-of-cost cricket academy in their village, where local children come to learn and play.
“My father has a dream that he wants to be a cricket player. When he sees that, he goes to the village. We run an academy in the village, free of cost. All the kids from the village come and play there. Whenever my father has time, he goes there,” Gill told the reporters.
“The kids show me the video of this boy's batting. They were showing me a boy's fielding. This boy's fielding is very good. He is 6 or 7 years old. I think his love for cricket is the reason why I am sitting here," he added.
Shubman Gill’s father, Lakhwinder Singh, was often seen in attendance for his matches, standing proudly in the stands to witness his son's milestones and remaining his most trusted critic and mentor throughout his meteoric rise in international cricket.
Lakhwinder would give advice and tips after every game, analysing his dismissals and technique to ensure that he never lost sight of the fundamentals that got him to the highest level.
When Will Shubman Gill Return to Competitive Cricket?
Shubman Gill’s last appearance was in the ODI series against England, where he was India’s highest run-getter with 188 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 94.00 in three matches. The 26-year-old was part of the T20Is against Ireland, England, and Zimbabwe, as the selectors looked to balance workload management across formats.
Gill was on a break after the ODI assignment against England and will join the India squad in Mumbai on Monday, August 3, to travel to Sri Lanka for the two-match Test series, starting on August 15. The squad will depart for Sri Lanka from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai on August 4.
The upcoming Test series is crucial for Shubman Gill's side as valuable World Test Championship (WTC) points will be at stake. With Team India currently at the fifth spot on the WTC Points Table, a strong performance against Sri Lanka will be vital to boost their chances of climbing the table and staying in contention for a place in the Final.
Shubman Gill is currently India’s leading run-scorer in the ongoing WTC cycle, amassing 950 runs, including 5 centuries and a fifty, at an average of 79.16 in 14 innings. Gill’s performance and leadership will be paramount as India looks to conquer these crucial away fixtures and solidify their path toward the WTC Final.
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