Ex-Coach Tells Untold Story of How Gill Impressed Kohli, Ravi Shastri and Dhoni
Ex-coach Sanjay Bangar recalls Shubman Gill’s first net session in 2019, revealing Ravi Shastri’s reaction as Kohli captained and Dhoni was in the squad.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has shared how Shubman Gill impressed everyone during his very first training session with the senior team. Gill, now India’s Test captain, was just a youngster when he joined the squad in 2019.
Bangar recalled that the session took place with Ravi Shastri as head coach, Virat Kohli as captain, and MS Dhoni still in the side. India were preparing for the 2019 ODI World Cup at the time.
According to Bangar, Gill walked out for his first net session and played a range of shots against the throwdown specialists.
“When we pitched it up, he would drive. If it was outside off, he cut it. If it was short, he pulled it. The other nets stopped, and everyone was watching him,” Bangar said on Doordarshan Sports.
He added that Shastri was left so impressed that he immediately wanted to draft Gill into the XI.
“Coach Ravi Shastri was so impressed that he said, ‘Isko abhi khila do’ (Play him now). We realised then that this boy was special.”
Gill made his debut against New Zealand in January 2019 during the fourth ODI. He scored 9 and 7 in the two games he played on that tour. He cemented his place later in 2022 on the West Indies tour and has since grown into one of India’s most important players, even rising to the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
