Shubman Gill: India’s Test Skipper Names His Biggest Idols, Moment He Thought Cricket Was It

Shubman Gill, currently India’s vice captain in T20Is and the ongoing Asia Cup, has rapidly cemented his legacy through record-breaking consistency, highlighted by a brisk unbeaten 20 off just 9 balls against Hong Kong to steer India home in the tournament opener. Recently promoted to Test skipper and now Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy for the shortest format, Gill remains at the heart of India's leadership group.

For Gill, cricket wasn’t just a game he grew up watching, but a calling that crystallised at the age of 11. Speaking on Apple Music’s podcast, Gill recalled the practice match that made him sure the sport would be his life.

Early Spark at 11

“Honestly, I realised this is going to be my career when I was 11. Like, a moment happened. There was a camp going on of under-23 Indian fast bowlers, and I was only 11. So they were more than double my age, most of the players there, and they were a batsman short. One of my really good friends, one of my closest friends who I practised with, Khushpreet, was in that camp. He was a fast bowler, and he asked the head coach if he could get me because we were a batsman short and we were playing a match,” Gill recalled.

“And then I was batting way down the order, like at number seven or eight. Our first four or five batsmen got out within four or five overs, and then I went in to bat and scored 90-something not out. That moment and that innings, like, it was just a practice match, nothing, but the confidence that moment gave me is what made me realise, okay, this is… this is like, I am meant to do this,” he added.

Family Roots and Early Coaching

Cricket ran in his family’s veins long before Gill’s breakout moment. His earliest memories stretch back to when he was just three years old, watching matches with his father and mimicking what he saw on television.

“I then used to sit and watch, okay, what is the batsman doing, how is he hitting, and I used to try to imitate that. When he used to come back and see, oh, if I’m doing it in the right way. I was about three years old, and he was quite shocked. It is quite rare that a three-year-old can imitate seeing something on the screen that well. And that is how it started. He is also my coach, so that’s how he started coaching me. That’s how we… so people used to work on our farm, they used to come and throw balls at me, and I used to bat,” Gill remembered.

By the age of seven, his family moved from their village in Fazilka to Chandigarh, where Gill joined a cricket academy. It is here that his structured cricketing journey truly began, laying the platform for his rise.

Two Idols Who Shaped Him

In the same podcast, Gill opened up about the two players who inspired his approach to the game. “I have had two idols. The first one was Sachin Tendulkar. He was my dad’s favourite, and I actually got into cricket because of him. He retired in 2013, and around 2011–2013 was when I really started to understand cricket properly not just the skills, but also the mental and tactical side of the game."

Gill then turned to another giant of Indian cricket as his second guiding light. “That was also the time I began following Virat Kohli closely. I loved watching the way he went about his business, the sheer passion he had for the game, and the hunger he carried. You can learn all the skills and all the techniques, but hunger is something you either have or you don’t. Virat had it in abundance, and that really inspired me.”

Nicknamed “The Prince” to Virat Kohli’s “The King,” Gill is now carving his own legacy as both a prolific batter and India’s Test captain.

Beyond the Game: Music and Travels

While cricket defines Gill’s professional life, he revealed that music and travel keep him balanced. Punjabi tracks remain his staple, but he also turns to French classical music to clear his head before big matches. His time spent in the UK has also given him perspective, where he enjoys the anonymity and cultural exposure that comes with travelling away from home.

At just 26, Gill has already led India to a drawn Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series in England, scored more than 6,000 international runs and lifted trophies including the IPL and Champions Trophy. With responsibility as a leader and a batter, he continues to bear the weight of expectations as India’s big-stage torchbearer. His next test arrives on September 14, when India face Pakistan in Dubai at the Asia Cup, a stage where his story continues to unfold.