'Virat Kohli’s absence...'- Shubman Gill reacts to Virat Kohli becoming a father again

Indian opener Shubman Gill while speaking in the pre-IND vs ENG fourth Test match has opened up about how Virat Kohli’s absence in the series has affected Team India. Kohli recently became a father for the second time as his wife Anushka Sharma gave birth to a baby boy in London. Kohli had taken a break from international cricket due to the same reason and also pulled out from the five-match IND vs ENG Test series.

Shubman Gill stated that Virat Kohli’s absence from the team affects every player. However, the right-handed Indian opener added that how other players can also benefit from it. Gill has taken the place of Kohli in the Test series and has performed decently in the series.

Shubman Gill opens up on the absence of Virat Kohli

Shubman Gill said, “Virat Kohli’s absence affects every team but players who have got an opportunity in his absence have done really well.”

Shubman Gill wasn’t in decent form in the first match of the series and failed to leave any impact with his batting. However, the batter made a comeback in the second game in Visakhapatnam and slammed a century. Gill also played an innings of 91 runs in Rajkot, and now would be aiming to continue the same form in the upcoming match.

Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen of the current period, and he is well-known for his dedication to the Test format. Virat has always stated that the red-ball format is his favorite, and he has scored runs in every part of the world while playing for the Indian Test team.

Virat Kohli also altered the Indian Test team while serving as captain. India ranked first in Tests for nearly five years. Virat revolutionized India’s strategy for playing matches overseas, and Indian pacers became the primary reason for India’s success in foreign countries.

Virat Kohli participated in the Test series against South Africa, where he scored some decent runs in both games. Virat’s batsmanship has improved dramatically over the last 1.5 years. Kohli finished the year as one of the top run-getters, scoring 2048 runs in 35 games, including eight hundreds, at an average of 66.06. Kohli also received the ICC ODI Player of the Year award for his outstanding performance in the 50-over format throughout the year.

Virat Kohli scored 1377 runs in 27 games, including three centuries at the ODI World Cup 2023. Kohli scored the most runs in the competition and was named Player of the Tournament.

Speaking about Shubman Gill, the last year has been the best for the young India batsman so far. Gill finished as the best-run scorer in the IPL 2023, scoring 890 runs from 16 games, including two hundreds. The right-handed batter was also the greatest run scorer in all three forms in 2023, scoring 2154 runs in 48 games, including 10 half-centuries and seven hundreds.

Shubman Gill also became the youngest batsman to get a double century in ODIs, and he will now lead his IPL franchise, the Gujarat Titans, in the IPL 2024.

Shubman Gill is known to take forward the legacy of Virat Kohli and may turn out to be one of the best players of the coming generation.