Young batting sensation –Shubman Gill was outstanding throughout the U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, where the right-hander finished as the player of the tournament with 372 runs. His father Lakhwinder Singh is the man who played a significant role in shaping his cricketing career.

Shubman's father also wanted to become a professional cricketer and represent his country but the lack of opportunities snatched his dream.  Still, he is the first coach of his son – Shubhman who always consults his father whenever the 18-year-old is in doubt over his game.

Behind the success of Gill, who played a key role in India's triumph in the World Cup, was his and his father's determination and hard work.

Mr. Lakhwinder revealed to TNN, “Shubman was interested in the sport since a very young age. He started wielding a bat at the age of three. He never liked any other toy. He would play with a bat and a ball even before going to bed. Seeing his interest in the game, I decided to train him. I made him play 500 to 700 balls every day. To make him adept at handling fast bowling, I used to throw the ball over a manji (charpoy). The ball tends to travel faster after skidding off the charpoy.”

He added, “Besides that, he practiced with a single stump as his bat. That helped Shubman in finding the middle of the bat more often than not.”

Hailing from Chak Khere Wala - a village in Fazilka district, there were not enough facilities for Gill to take his game to next level, and due to which Lakhwinder decided to shift to Mohali with his family in 2007 for better training to become him a cricketer.

Lakhwinder signed off by saying, “Our village is about 300 kilometers from Mohali. But due to lack of facilities there, we brought him here (in Mohali). We fully supported him in achieving his dream to become a cricketer.”