Kapil Dev asks to not compare Shubman Gill with greats already

Gujarat Titans batter Shubman Gill is having the time of his life; Orange Cap in IPL 2023 with 851 runs, so far and centuries across formats with over a thousand runs in international cricket in the last six months. While players Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have been falling short of words to laud the form he is in, there is however a voice that is asking not to compare Gill with the greats already.

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The captain of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning side, Kapil Dev, is quite impressed by the game Gill has been showing of late but believes the young batter needs to prove his game in a couple of more seasons to be given entry to the elite club.

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While talking to the ABP News, Kapil Dev said, “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.

“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.

Kapil Dev opined that Gill’s mettle will be tested when his purple patch finishes and he has to pull through the ups and downs of the game.

“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.”

While cautioning against huge comparisons too soon, the former Indian captain also referred to former Indian batter Vinod Kambli, who although had a great start to his career but couldn’t carry forward the streak.

“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.

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