On Shubman Gill 'Replacing' Virat Kohli In Key Role, R Ashwin's 'Uncomfortable' Verdict

Indian cricket team batter Shubman Gill enjoyed a brilliant run of form in the recently concluded five-match Test series against England with two crucial centuries. It was a great outing for the youngster who faced a lot of criticism since replacing Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3. It was a new challenge for Gill as he mainly opened the batting for India in other formats and he did not score a lot of runs in the beginning. However, he proved his mettle against England and his knocks were crucial in clinching the series victory. While his batting has been praised a lot by experts and fans alike, Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out another key role where he replaced Virat Kohli and have shown brilliant promise.

“Short mid-wicket is Virat Kohli's position. It is very difficult to replace him. Virat and (Suresh) Raina. (Shubman) Gill started off there in the first test, and he looked very uncomfortable. By the final Test, he got it (like Vijay says to Sivakarthikeyan). He also took a catch of (Ben) Duckett on covers. It shows that he wants to improve his game on a day-to-day basis, and he's working on it,” Ashwin said.

Ashwin also said that Gill is bound to be the "next superstar of Indian cricket" as he has handled the pressure on his 'journey' brilliantly.

“I give extra praise to Shubman Gill because he has seen the ups and downs of the game. People discussed his position in the XI. He had a few technical issues of his own. He came past all that to become what he is today, like how gold is molten from flames and water. And for somebody who is bound to be the next superstar of Indian cricket, as people project, this is a very important journey for him. He has handled the pressure, and massive applause is for him,” said Ashwin.