‘Shubman Gill is trying to be next Virat Kohli’: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez

On the eve of India’s Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Bangladesh, captain Rohit Sharma said his deputy, Shubman Gill‘s ODI numbers “are crazy” and it was one of the primary reasons why he was elevated to the vice-captain’s role in this format. Rohit was spot on. Gill may have found it hard in Test cricket and was outscored in T20Is by other openers, but in ODIs, he is a beast, much like Virat Kohli or, dare we say, even better, at least based on the start he has got in 50-over cricket.

In his maiden Champions Trophy appearance, Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 101 of 129 balls to get India off to a winning start in a Group A match against Bangladesh in Dubai. Gill’s knock helped India chase down 229 in 46.3 overs with six wickets in hand.

It took him just 51 innings to score 8 ODI centuries. That is the fastest among all India batters. Six fewer than Shikhar Dhawan, 17 fewer than Virat Kohli and 47 fewer than Sachin Tendulkar.

It is safe to state that Gill’s limitless talent has found wings in ODIs. And former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez is the right man to take Kohli’s legacy forward.

‘Shubman Gill trying to take Virat Kohli’s legacy forward’

“For the past three years, since Shubman Gill came to this Indian side, he has been trying to be the next Virat Kohli. He is trying to take that legacy forward,” Mohammad Hafeez said on “Game On Hai.”

“It was his eighth ODI hundred but it was one of his slowest centuries,” said Hafeez. But the thing that made me very happy was that he batted according to the situation. On this pitch the requirement was to absorb the pressure, to control the game,” he added.

Gill got to his century off 125 balls, it was his slowest ODI century but the most “satisfying one” as he made sure to stay there till the end on a pitch that became increasingly difficult for strokeplay.

Hafeez said that at 25, Gill is a lot more mature than his age suggests, and he knows exactly when to attack and absorb the pressure.

“He played against his nature (attacking cricket) and instead of that he produced the match-winning performance. To me, it is heartening to see that someone who is just 25 is controlling the game very well. He knows when to attack and when he needs to absorb the pressure. He is one of the players who likes to perform at the big stage. He took the responsibility and finished the game. He has controlled the game beautifully,” said Hafeez.