"Happy birthday to the Prince of world cricket" - Shubman Gill receives special wishes as he turns 24
Members of the cricketing fraternity and fans extended warm wishes to young Indian batter Shubman Gill as he turned 24 today, September 8. He is currently in Colombo, Sri Lanka, participating in the Asia Cup 2023.
India has played two matches in the continental tournament so far. The match against Pakistan ended without a result after the second innings was washed out. The Men in Blue then beat Nepal comprehensively by 10 wickets in a rain-curtailed contest. Shubman Gill scored 77 runs across the two games.
On the occasion of his 24th birthday, members of the cricket fraternity and fans were quick to wish him on social media. Iconic players Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh led the way with their posts.
Here are some of the wishes:
"When the ball swings at pace, you need to get into positions quickly" - Mohammad Kaif's advice to Shubman Gill
Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif recently analyzed Shubman Gill's performance against Pakistan in the group-stage match of Asia Cup 2023. The rising youngster only scored 10 runs after facing 32 balls in that game before chopping Haris Rauf's delivery onto the stumps.
Kaif pointed out that Gill did not show positive intent and went into a shell while facing high-quality Pakistan pacers. Speaking to Star Sports, he said:
"Gill showed no intent in that game (Pakistan). He had faced about 19-20 deliveries (32), and the only boundary he got was down the leg side. So he definitely needs to work on his intent. When the ball swings at pace, you need to get into positions quickly, and that is something that Gill will need to do in the indoor nets."
Kaif added:
"The side-arm throwers generally try to shape the ball into the batters, and that is something that will certainly help Gill. If you see his dismissal (against Pakistan), he couldn’t bring his bat down in time and his stumps were rattled. So this left-arm side-arm thrower will definitely test his bat speed, and that’s something that will help him while facing Shaheen Afridi."
Do you agree with Mohammad Kaif's opinion above? Sound off in the comments section.