Virat Kohli reacts to Gill’s first T20I century, calls him ‘Sitara’

Shubman Gill, India’s star youth, silenced the critics with an astonishing undefeated 126-run knock in the series’ third and final T20I against New Zealand. Many former cricketers and fans believed Gill should take a step back and focus on ODIs and Tests after a string of low scores in the format; however, the 23-year-old finally repaid captain Hardik Pandya and the team management’s faith by passing Virat Kohli to become India’s highest scorer in an innings in T20Is.

Gill is highly slated to carry on Kohli’s batting legacy in the Indian team, and it’s not surprising that the former Indian captain posted an Instagram story suggesting the same. After a century knock in the third T20Is, Kohli uploaded a picture with Gill with a five-word caption. “Sitaara (Star). The future is here,” wrote Kohli.

The Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill bond is special! pic.twitter.com/o0chu3FsJG

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 2, 2023

With his century against New Zealand, Gill has now scored a century in all three formats of the game, becoming only the second-youngest batter in the game’s history to do so. Ahmed Shahzad of Pakistan holds the record, having hit the three-figure milestone in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is at the age of 22 years and 127 days.

Gill, by the way, made his T20I debut this year during the team’s first match of the year against Sri Lanka in January. Gill had only 76 runs in five matches prior to the century, and there had been tremendous pressure on the youngster to retain his place in the side, especially with the emergence of another promising opener in Prithvi Shaw.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has formed a number of good partnerships with Gill in ODIs, and the duo will be looking to make a similar impact in the longest format when Team India resumes to play on February 9 against Australia. When India takes against Australia in the 2021-23 World Test Championship, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian squad will be vying for a spot in the tournament.

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