Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Shubman Gill has taken the cricketing world by storm with his stunning exploits in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
With 851 runs to his name, Gill has become only the second Indian batter after Virat Kohli and fourth overall in the history of IPL after Jos Buttler and David Warner to aggregate more than 800 runs in an IPL season.
Thanks to his whirlwind century, GT on Friday (May 27) qualified for the IPL 2023 final by defeating Mumbai Indians with a huge margin of 62 runs in Qualifier 2.
Opening the innings, Shubman slammed 129 off 60, propelling the Titans to a mammoth 233/3 in 20 overs. His knock was studded with 7 fours and 10 sixes. It was Gill’s third century in the ongoing IPL and en route, he pipped Faf du Plessis to top the Orange Cap tally this season.
Shubman Gill’s staggering achievements in international cricket this year and in IPL 2023 have got the cricketing world making big predictions about him. However, legendary India all-rounder Kapil Dev is still reserving high praise for the 23-year-old.
Kapil doesn't want to put Gill in the bracket of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli yet.
"Sunil Gavaskar came, Sachin Tendulkar came, then Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag Virat Kohli and now with the kind of batting he is showing, it appears that Shubman Gill is following their footsteps. But I will like to give him another season before making big claims. He definitely has the talent but won't like to make big comparisons right now,” Kapil told ABP News.
"He needs to have one more season like this before we can say he is the next in line after Gavaskar, Sachin and Kohli. Bowlers get to know your strengths and weaknesses after one or two good seasons. But if you have three or four good seasons then we can say he is truly great," he added.
The 1983 World Cup-winning skipper cited Vinod Kambli's example and said Gill's real test will be when his purple patch gets over.
"This is a purple patch for Shubman Gill. We have to see how long can he continue like this. It will be interesting to see how he comes back when there's a dip after scoring so many runs. Look at Suryakumar Yadav. After glorious seasons, he made three golden ducks and then again he came back strongly. You rate these players highly. So I'd be very keen to see how Gill bounces back when his purple patch finishes. He has all the qualities His biggest strength is that he doesn't appear to be in a hurry even when boundaries are not coming. He has all the shots.
"Don't get me wrong, I have no doubts in his abilities. But without making comparisons, I would like to talk about one cricketer - Vinod Kambli, who probably had an even better start to his international career. So the biggest question in front of Gill now will be that will he be able to handle himself? Cope with all the attention and fame that he will be getting at this young age?" Kapil said.
Gujarat Titans will face Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023 final at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 28).
