Gujarat Titans star reveals how Shubman Gill forced him into 4 years of struggle

Star Tamil Nadu and Gujarat Titans (GT) spinner, Sai Kishore, has revealed how the India National Cricket Team Test skipper, Shubman Gill, made him struggle for four long years in domestic cricket.

Sai Kishore said that Shubman Gill found it very easy to play against him, and the batter made his life hard, which forced him to change his bowling trajectory.

Shubman Gill is a prodigy - Shubman Gill

Gill and Kishore are teammates at the Gujarat Titans (GT), and the duo have delivered sensational performances for the franchise on a consistent basis.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Sai Kishore has been a key weapon of captain Shubman Gill and has picked up 32 wickets for the IPL 2022 Champions in three seasons.

Meanwhile, Kishore labelled Gill as a prodigy and recalled being troubled by the batter in domestic cricket, which forced him to add new weapons to his arsenal.

"Shubman is a prodigy. I’ve known him since he was 16. The first time we played him in Under-19s, he scored 260 in Patiala. Later in the Ranji Trophy, he got 270.

"Honestly, it took me four years to figure him out. I even went back to my coach, Ram Kumar, and said: There’s this guy who’s just smashing me around — what can I do? I had to change my trajectory and work on new things purely because of Shubman. I’ve told him this story too," Sai Kishore told Sportstar.

Also Read: Ex-India star shares red-hot take on Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill: "Why does he keep getting..."

He’s taken to captaincy like fish to water - Sai Kishore

Sai Kishore further stated that Gill has taken to captaincy like fish to water despite not having much leadership experience at the domestic level and was hopeful of a bright future for the Punjab lad.

"He’s taken to captaincy like fish to water. Remember, he had never even captained Punjab because he was always with India. But when the Indian team needed a leader, Shubman stepped in. I’m very happy to see how naturally he’s adapted. Hopefully, in the coming years, he’ll grow into a proper leader," said Sai Kishore.

Shubman Gill to be next seen in action in the Asia Cup

Gill won the Player of the Series award for India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 against the England National Cricket Team, which was his first series as the Test captain.

Gill finished as the leading run-getter in the five-match Test series between India and England as he scored 754 runs at an average of 75.40.

The 25-year-old was recently appointed as the vice-captain of the Indian T20I team, replacing Axar Patel in the role, and will be next seen in action in the Asia Cup 2025.

Asia Cup 2025 will be played in the T20 format from September 9 to 28. India is the formal host of the Asia Cup 2025, but due to political and logistical reasons, the tournament will be held in the UAE. A total of eight teams will take part in the tournament, and the teams have been divided into two group.