"That's when I started dreaming of playing for my country" - Shubman Gill on 2007 T20 World Cup
Team India opener Shubman Gill recently stated that he is determined to win the 2023 World Cup for his country. He relived how he dreamed of representing the nation at the highest level following the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Gill highlighted that the inaugural T20 World Cup had a great influence on him during his younger days. The talented batter suggested that there could not be an achievement bigger than holding the ICC silverware.
In a video shared by the ICC on social media, Shubman Gill said:
"The only thing that I've set my eyes on is the World Cup trophy. This World Cup is so big that everything else seems so small. The biggest influence on me was the 2007 T20 World Cup. As a kid, that's when I started dreaming of playing for my country and representing my country at the world level."
Speaking about his favorite World Cup moment, Gill stated that he was overjoyed to witness Yuvraj Singh's six sixes off Stuart Broad's bowling in the 2007 T20 World Cup. He added:
"My favourite and one of my first World Cup memories is Yuvraj Singh hitting those six sixes. There was this instinctive feeling that he was going to hit the sixth one. And when it happened, I was just ecstatic."
Gill also spoke about his U19 World Cup campaign. He commented that winning the tournament boosted his confidence significantly, elaborating:
"Playing the U19 World Cup did help me grow in my confidence. It was a career high for me and winning that World Cup did boost my confidence a lot."
Shubman Gill was part of India's squad that won the U19 World Cup in 2018. He scored 372 runs in five innings and was named Player of the Tournament.
"It is really exciting for someone like me to see him grow" - Rahul Dravid on Shubman Gill's incredible rise
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid worked closely with Shubman Gill during his stint as India's U19 coach. He stated that he was delighted to witness the youngster's tremendous rise in international cricket.
Dravid said:
"Shubman is someone who has been around the team for a little bit but has come to his own in the last year or so. It's been reflected in his performances and his maturity as a person. It is really exciting for someone like me to see him grow from an under-19 kid to the player and person he has become."
Speaking to the ICC, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out that Gill is a complete batter, remarking:
"Shubman is everything that you can desire for a batter, especially in white-ball formats. He has got this great skill to use his feet nicely against spin. You name it, he has got it."
Shubman Gill will be seen in action on Sunday, October 29, when the Men in Blue take on England in the 2023 World Cup fixture in Lucknow.