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Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar recalled Shubman Gill’s first expression during his debut tour, sharing how the youngster looked in his very first training session with the national team. Shubman’s stocks in the Indian team have skyrocketed recently as he became the Test captain, and speculations are rife that the BCCI is also planning to present him as the all-format skipper in the future. Meanwhile, Bangar revealed that Gill left a strong impression on his senior teammates and the coaching staff when he made his international debut in 2019, with Virat Kohli as captain and the iconic MS Dhoni still in the squad.
Bangar, who was the batting coach when Gill broke into the side, said the youngster made an immediate mark in training by showcasing a wide array of shots against side-arm throwers, adjusting seamlessly to the deliveries he faced.
“It was his first session and he walked out to bat in the nets. Ravi Shastri was the head coach, the captain was Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni was still in the team. We were preparing for the 2019 ODI World Cup,” Bangar said on Doordarshan Sports. “The side-arm throwers and I started to bowl at Shubman. When we pitched it up, he would play the drive.
“Thoda sa off-stump ke bahar hai toh cut maare. Thoda sa short de do toh pull maare. Dusra net band ho gaya, inka hi net chal raha and sab dekh rahe hai ki ye kya hai. (If the ball was a little outside off-stump, he cut it. If it was slightly short, he pulled it. The other nets stopped; only his net was going on, and everyone was watching in amazement — wondering what this was),” he said.
“Ravi Shastri was so impressed that…”
Bangar mentioned that then-head coach Ravi Shastri was so impressed with Gill’s showing in the nets that he was keen to slot him directly into the playing XI.
“Coach Ravi Shastri was so impressed that he wanted to put him in the playing XI. ‘Isko abhi khila do’ (Play him now). “He left that kind of imprint in his first net session itself, and we realised then that this boy was special,” he added.
Gill made his international debut against New Zealand in the fourth ODI, but he failed to make an impact in the two ODIs he played on the tour, scoring 9 and 7. However, he firmly established himself in the ODI side in 2022, beginning with the West Indies tour, and has since grown into a key player, rising to the No. 1 position in the ICC rankings.
