Former Indian captain Virat Kohli claimed that he is eager to work with young opening batter Shubman Gill, on Tuesday, the eve of the World Test Championship Final.
The Indians reached their second consecutive WTC Final – after finishing runners-up to New Zealand in the 2021 edition – and will take on Australia in the one-off match at The Oval in London.
Kohli hopes that the in-form Gill will help the Indians get over the line, but asserted that the 23-year-old’s ability and willingness to learn will keep him in a good position for the long-term.
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“He speaks to me a lot about the game as well, he’s keen to learn. He has an amazing skill set,” Kohli said to ICC.com. “At his age, he’s got an amazing ability and a temperament as well to perform at the highest level. Very, very confident. And we do have that relationship, that understanding, which is natural and mutual, based on respect.”
“I’m keen to help him grow and really understand his potential and come into his own so that he can play for a long time, perform consistently, and eventually Indian cricket can benefit.”
Gill has played 15 Tests for the national team so far, with a batting average of 34.23 and 57.64 strike rate. His performances improved drastically during the recently concluded Indian Premier League season, in which he scored three centuries in his last five appearances for eventual finalists Gujarat Titans.
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Particularly impressive was his 129-run knock off 60 deliveries against Mumbai Indians in the second Qualifier. It’s such type of performances that led fans to dub him ‘prince.’
“These tags of ‘King (Kohli)‘ and ‘Prince’ are all great for the public and for the spectators to see, but the job of any senior player is to groom youngsters and give them the insight that you’ve experienced through your career so that they can manage their ups and downs pretty well,” Kohli added.
“As long as the guy is keen to learn, like him, he’s going to be fine because he wants to understand how to do this for a long time at the highest level and perform consistently.
“He’s a lovely kid, he’s playing amazingly well and I wish he continues the same in this Test match as well.”
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