Gill emerges as GT's pride, India's future in T20s too?

Cricket is a rapidly changing landscape, but Shubman Gill nudges you to believe that it's not for the worse.

- Somshuvra Laha

KOLKATA: In an era where bats are being randomly tested by umpires, Gill excites the traditionalists with the use of his bottom hand, the short arm jab, and the ridiculously well-executed leg-side swipe of sixth stump deliveries.

At a time when batting is all too dizzyingly buccaneering, he is the secret ingredient to a fail-safe consistency that even Brendon McCullum would yearn for. He is also an example of why numbers shouldn't always be allowed to dictate the narrative.

KKR would know. Throughout his stint with them, Gill's strike rate was 123, not marauding, but still with 10 fifties in 55 innings; he was the sort of guy you would want in the event of a collapse. But KKR let him go when he was still raw, only 22.

Gujarat Titans lapped him up, and now in an almost similar span (53 innings), Gill has 13 fifties, four hundreds, nearly double sixes (68, from 36 with KKR), and a strike rate of 148.48, all while opening the batting. And you still feel there is probably more to Gill.

To not give into the impulse of lashing out at every ball can be challenging, but Gill more than makes up with those clever late cuts and fine slices. Picking a signature shot is difficult, but the cut behind square is a pretty good bet.