India vs Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill readies for first Test on home ground

Sri Lanka at Mohali, there's another cricketer who will be hungry to take the ground on Friday. Local boy Shubman Gill, one of the architects of the historic win against Australia at the Gabba, is most likely to play his first Test in front of his home crowd. Gill's memorable 91 runs in the chase of the famous Brisbane Test, helped India breach the 'Gabba' fortress and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2021. That innings was like a trailer of a blockbuster career in the making. A product of India's robust domestic set-up, Shubman gave glimpses of his batting prowess by tackling the fiery trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc with ease. The Punjab youngster's knock also sent out a message that the next generation of Indian cricket is ready to take forward the legacy of the stalwarts of the past decades.

Read AlsoMilestone Men: Mohali Test against Sri Lanka is Virat Kohli's 100th and Rohit Sharma's first as Test captain

Rohit Sharma may have caught up with Virat Kohli in terms of significance but the two have swapped roles as Rohit prepares to lead India for the first time in Tests in Kohli’s 100th Test at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, beginning Friday.

Former India all-rounder Karsan Ghavri had once pointed out, "In the next decade or so, Shubman's name should be right up there with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Virat Kohli. He has got everything in his armoury; confidence, the penchant for scoring big runs, and most importantly, consistency." Ghavri was one of the first to have spotted the pedigree of a 12-year-old Shubman during a pace bowling camp at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in 2011. Gharvi was so impressed by young Shubman, that he urged the cricketer's dad