Courtesy: BCCI
Sanjay Bangar, the former Indian cricketer and batting coach, revealed how impressed ex-head coach Ravi Shastri was of Shubman Gill when he saw him for the first-time in a practice session as a teenager with the national team in 2019. During Ravi Shastri’s tenure as head coach of the Indian cricket team, a player had to go through their traditional “screen test” to earn a place in the playing XI, and Shubman Gill left him stunned with his batting skills at such a young age.
Notably, Shubman Gill was picked in the Indian cricket team for the first-time in 2019 after his sensational performances during the U19 Cricket World Cup-winning campaign a year prior. After impressing Ravi Shastri in the practice session, Shubman Gill got a couple of ODI matches on India’s tour to New Zealand, but he was dismissed cheaply on both the occasions for nine and seven runs respectively.
Ek taiyaar player mil gaya humein: Ravi Shastri on Shubman Gill
From that point onwards, Shubman Gill has grown leaps and bounds not only as a batter, but as an individual in the Indian cricket team, getting elevated to the vice-captaincy role in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after captaining the side in T20Is last year. While speaking to Star Sports, Sanjay Bangar discussed the arrival of Shubman Gill, and how he made a fan out of Ravi Shastri during a practice session on the tour to New Zealand in 2019.
Watch the video here:
The 52-year-old was quoted as saying, as per Hindustan Times, “The first glimpse of Shubman Gill we had during his first net session for India, there is a tradition in India that during the nets session, if you want that approval, you will have to do well against throwdown specialists, who bowl really fast. He was so impressive in that net session which was his screen test that Ravi Shastri was left stunned and said 'ek taiyaar player mil gaya humein (We’ve got someone who’s ready for international cricket)'. Such was his first impact.”
Moreover, Shubman Gill is currently a part of the Indian cricket team for their three-match ODI series against England at home ahead of the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will begin later this month.
