IPL 2018: Kolkata were Not the Favorites but we Did Well - Shubman Gill

18-year old Shubman Gill has been one of the most promising picks for Kolkata Knight Riders this season.

The deputy for India in the U19 World Cup notched up big scores, and he smoothly made his transition into the senior cricketing circuits, courtesy of his lusty strokes.

The men in purple and gold finished third in the 11th edition of the IPL and Gill played a significant part in the second half of the league.

His unbeaten 57* against Chennai Super Kings earned him laurels while his gutsy 30 against Sunrisers Hyderabad showcased the character he owes.

Gill on KKR’s run and skipper DK

On a fruitful season with the Knights, Gill said it feels good, especially since they were not the favourites in the league.

He also mentioned the influence of skipper Dinesh Karthik and how the leader led the young bunch.

“It feels very good. We weren’t the favourites at the start. Nobody was expecting us to do this well because it wasn’t a star-studded team. But we had a very good combination of overseas and young players. And we did really well, I think. Also, how DK bhai (Dinesh Karthik) captained the side was really good.” he said.

Gill on IPL

The youngster scored 203 runs and featured in 13 games this season. He also earned a call-up to the India A side, all thanks to his consistent run.

On the IPL, he said,

“This was a whole new experience for me. Like I said, the last match I played, I was never in a situation like this (before) where you need 19 runs off an over and everyone’s just counting on you. But I got to know a lot of new things like there’s so much pressure while you’re fielding and you have to take each and every ball very seriously. Also, I made a lot of new friends.”