India ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill spoke about his father’s role in his success. Shubman Gill’s father, Lakhwinder Singh, is a farmer from Fazilka in Punjab and did everything to support his son’s dream of becoming a cricketer.
Shubman Gill made his India debut in 2019 in an ODI, soon after winning the ICC U19 World Cup in 2018. His Test debut came in 2020 in Melbourne against Australia, and his T20I debut came in 2023.
Since then, Shubman Gill has cemented his spot in India’s ODI and Test teams and captains the Men in Blue in these formats. He has 2,969 runs in 41 Tests with 11 centuries and 8 fifties at an average of 44.31 with a best score of 269. In 67 ODIs, he has scored 3,379 runs at an average of 60.33 with 9 centuries and 20 fifties, with a best score of 208.
He credited his father, Lakhwinder Singh, for all the success he has achieved.
“Whatever I have achieved today is because of my father’s hard work and his deep love for the sport. It was his lifelong dream to turn me into a successful cricketer.
We have opened a free-of-cost training facility at our village, and whenever he goes there, he tries to spot new talent. He still shows me videos of young players who he believes have potential. So, this is not about my cricket, but he loves the sport overall. The facility caters to children from neighboring hamlets, who lack access to formal training infrastructure,” Shubman Gill said, as per Tribune India.
Lakhwinder Singh, a cricket fan, is frequently spotted by cricket fans, dressed in a simple white kurta-pajama, at all of Gill's matches. Gill revealed that wearing white Indian attire is his father’s superstition, as he believes if he wears white, India wins and Gill scores runs.
“It’s his superstition. Whenever he wears the plain white kurta-pajamas, I score runs or the Indian team wins. So, he wears the same attire wherever he comes to watch the match, no matter if in India or abroad. My father is quite superstitious when it comes to my games, so he makes a point to stick to his lucky attire every time,” he added.
Gill attended the Sher-E-Punjab T20 league's logo unveiling at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA International Cricket Stadium. The tournament is set to begin on August 30.
“The Sher-E-Punjab T20 League will be a fantastic platform for young cricketers to showcase their talent and progress toward playing for Punjab and India. Punjab has always produced outstanding cricketers, and I believe this league will help discover many more. I congratulate the Punjab Cricket Association for this wonderful initiative and wish the league great success,” said Gill, who will also be playing the tournament, scheduled to be held at the Mullanpur facility.
The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) will host the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League from August 30 to September 23, with top cricketers such as ODI and Test team captain Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Gurnoor Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, and Ramandeep Singh competing at the Maharaja Yadavindra PCA International Cricket Stadium.
The tournament will be the first franchisee-based league T20 tournament organized by the PCA. A total of six teams will compete in this tournament, which will feature 27 matches.
