Shubman Gill and the art of batting Punjabi style

Shubman Gill does not come across as the quintessential Punjab cricketer. He is not brash and flamboyant like Yuvraj Singh. He is not like Harbhajan Singh either, who wears his heart on his sleeve. Rather, the U-19 World Cup’s player of the tournament comes across as opposite to all of them.

His cover drive may have a striking resemblance to the way Virat Kohli plays this shot, but the boy is an original and is keen on making a place of his own.

While the India captain Prithvi Shaw was the cynosure of all eyes during Monday’s open media session, Gill was not too far behind. He, too, was in demand for a byte or two during the interviews, four hours after they landed. The youngster only appeared to be happy about this and obliged.

The first question was about his knock of 102 not out in the big ticket semifinal against Pakistan which India won convincingly by 203 runs.

“It was very special. There were nerves and pressure before the match. The openers gave us a good start and we had to capitalise on it. We lost a few wickets in between, but Dravid sir told me that I don’t need to slog, but play till the last. I got a partnership with Anukul (Roy). All I had to do was bat till the last,” he said.

Asked about the feeling of winning the player of the tournament award (372 runs, 1x100s, 3x50s), he said: “It was nice to be the man of the tournament, but it can’t match the feeling of lifting the World Cup.”

During his knocks in New Zealand, Gill unleashed a few cover drives that brought about comparisons with Kohli. The youngster said it is his favourite shot. “I did not need to practice that shot. I have seen Virat sir play them. As I keep watching the cover drive over and over again, it has fitted into my muscle memory,” he said.

Gill also had a chance to spend time with with the dashing Yuvraj. He said the tips given by the senior Punjab cricketer helped him.

“I got a lot of guidance from Yuvi paaji when I was injured. When I was in rehab in NCA (National Cricket Academy), he was also there for his fitness thing. He gave a lot of tips about on field and off it. We would bat together as I was recovering. He helped me a lot,” he said.

For his batting skills, Gill made it to the IPL’s crorepati list having brought by Kolkata Knight Riders during the auction. How did he react? “It was 12 in the night. We were all tired and I was sleeping. Did not know that KKR would pick me. For me playing for India in the World Cup was more important.”

The 18-year-old has been a part of Punjab’s first class team where he has notched up a century and a half century. Gill said the pressures of playing the two are different. “The pressures of playing Ranji and World Cup are different. In Ranji, you have to play it like a Test match where you have to leave the ball. In the one dayers, you have to play fast. However, I was under more pressure playing in the World Cup.”

How easy was it for him to adjust to the fast and swinging conditions of New Zealand? “When I was a kid, my dad would let me play pace thus my bat swing is good. Before going to New Zealand we had prepared for the worst wickets in Alur, but we got good wickets (in New Zealand). We did not have to do any major technical adjustments,” he said.