Young Indian opener Shubman Gill has been consistently displaying his exceptional technique and brilliance across all formats this year. Earlier this month, Gill surpassed Pakistan captain Babar Azam and became the world’s no.1 batter in ODI cricket.

The 24-year-old has been on fire with the bat in 2023, consistently scoring runs for Team India in all three formats of the game. However, as the highly anticipated India versus New Zealand semifinal approaches, Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev revealed his major concern about Gill.

Recalling Sachin Tendulkar's debut in 1989, the former Indian captain said that he had concerns about whether the talented batter could sustain such success for a long time. However, Tendulkar proved everyone wrong and went on to become one of the all-time greats.

Read Also: CWC 2023: WATCH – “He was the same captain who made Pakistan No.1,” Kapil Dev defends Babar Azam

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain now echoes similar reservations about Gill, as he hailed the Punjabi lad's outstanding batting skills.

Kapil Dev said on a podcast with Ranveer Allahabadia: “Sachin Tendulkar was too young, just 15-year-old so you treat him like a baby, but I think within 6 months the way he played, the way he conducted himself, we understood that he has some special talent.”

He added, “But, the only fear with such talented players is that when you get so much at a young age, can you sustain, that's the thing we feared about. Today Shubman Gill has no problems, but as he grows older, then you ask where are his distractions, as today you only have one focus but as the distractions come, the thought processes also changes.”

Notably, the first semifinal of the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between India and New Zealand on November 15 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

(With LiveMint Inputs)