Kohli’s love and respect for the new young sensation Shubman Gill is well known and vice-versa.
During the debut tour of Gill to New Zealand, in a presentation ceremony, Virat said, “Shubman again is a very exciting talent. I saw him bat in the nets and I was like wow I was not even ten percent of that when I was 19. That’s the confidence that they carry and it is great for Indian cricket if the standard keeps going up and the guys coming in can make impact performances straight away and we would be more than happy to give them the chances and help then grow.”
And from that time to now, the respect that both have for each other has only grown. After scoring his maiden IPL ton for Gujarat Titans (GT) in a winning cause against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Gill acknowledges the impact of Kohli on him during his childhood days. While receiving the ‘Player of the Match’ award, Gill said: “When I was 12-13, I followed Virat Kohli the most, he has been my idol. I learnt a lot from Virat bhai. His passion and commitment motivates me”.
Kohli took little time to respond and praise the young star for achieving the milestone of registering a maiden IPL ton. The former RCB skipper shared a story on Instagram and wrote, “There’s potential, and then there’s Gill. Go on and lead the next generation. God Bless you.”
Virat and Shubman will face each other on May 21 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, where Kohli’s team will be looking to earn two points for a place in the top 4. On the other side, Gill’s side will look to try some new options ahead of Qualifier 1 in Chennai.
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