"Don't Have Many 'Yes People' Around": Shubman Gill's Mantra For Handling Fame At Young Age

Instant stardom in Indian cricket has often proved to be fickle and unnerving for talented individuals but Shubman Gill believes that having the right people around helped him immensely in maintaining the balance required in his heady journey. Considered the next megastar of Indian batting after the peerless Virat Kohli, the 23-year-old Punjab man has enjoyed a dream four months in international cricket between December to March, and is one of the architects of Gujarat Titans' consistent run for the second IPL season in a row.

For a young man who has achieved a lot of fame and adulation, how does he handle success while having a balanced approach towards life? "I think it has a lot to do with the upbringing and the friends around me. I don't have many 'yes people' (hanger ons) around me. I have more friends around me who are challenging my decisions, whatever they may be on field or off field. So that really helps," Gill told PTI in an exclusive interview.

He is still very young but in Gujarat Titans' set-up, Gill is already a senior member. And he is enjoying the responsibility that comes with being a sounding board in a high-stakes IPL team.

"I think I can give my inputs on how the batter might be thinking right now," said the man, who has already played 110 senior level T20 games.

He believes that in crunch situations, a bowler has a lot on his plate, and there he comes in.

"It is important sometimes in that situation as a bowler, there is so much going on -- you have to see the field, you have to see where you want to bowl that sometimes you don't focus on what the batter is trying to do, or where he is trying to hit you. So I think those inputs are important." He has scored seven international hundreds across