IPL 2020: ‘Won’t be surprised if he leads a franchise in 2-3 years’, Simon Doull passionately praises Indian batsman

Cricket | Friday | 2nd October, 2020

That Shubman Gill has a truckload of ability is obscure to none however what has been fascinating is the way that prominent previous cricketers have begun to think about him as a future captain. Former New Zealand quick bowler and as of now a prestigious telecaster, Simon Doull was the most recent to rave about Gill's authority characteristics.

Doull said he won’t be surprised if Shubman Gill ends up leading an IPL team in two-three years down the line.

“I won’t be surprised if we see him leading an IPL side two years down the line at the ripe age of 22-23. I think he should spend a lot of time with Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan and pick their brains. He also has Brendon McCullum, one of the most innovative captains in the last 7-9 years. I think he can learn a lot if he is around these guys,” Doull said during an interview.

Gill, who scored an unbeaten 70 in KKR’s first victory of IPL 2020 against Sunrisers Hyderabad carried on his good form by top-scoring against Rajasthan Royals with 47 off 34 balls. The youngster hit five fours and a six in his stay in the middle. Gill looked well set for another half-century but a Jofra Archer slower ball put an end to his innings.

“It was a perfect score for Shubman to get into this tournament. He didn’t score much in the first match. He needed a score to get started and when you are chasing only 143, you could play your natural game,” Doull said. “It will hold him in good stead moving forward. In the match against SRH, he timed the innings superbly. He needed to be there and show the maturity that he can bat through and win for his team.

“I think Eoin Morgan had the best ally on the other end in Shubman. So, the experience and calm nature of Morgan was supported well by the youthful exuberance of Shubman. He kept his head in place and I think it was a very, very fine innings.”