Another star from the 2018 batch of U19 World Cup-winning Indian team, Shubman Gill, is renowned for his sound technique and classy stroke-making.  

An appetite for runs matched with a temperament rated way beyond his years – Gill has all the makings of a star cricketer. As described by multiple cricketing legends as a superstar in the making, this young prodigy is destined for greater achievements in the future.

Gill was recognised by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) management for his excellent form in the U19 World Cup that the Indian team won in New Zealand, and the franchise bagged his services for INR 1.8 crore.

From then on, the young prodigy from Punjab made a buzz in the cricketing world. Even the pundits have stated that this wonder kid is going to be one of the prime batsmen in world cricket.

Among the current pool of top cricketing talents in India, Gill’s name tops the list. In the U16 Inter-District tournament, he scored 351 runs during an outing, back in 2014. 

Even on his U16 state debut for Punjab, he smashed an unbeaten double century in the 2014 Vijay Merchant Trophy. Gill made his List A debut for Punjab in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Subsequently, he made his first-class debut for Punjab in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, the same year.

After dominating List-A cricket for a year, in 2018, Shubman was named in India C’s squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy. His form enabled him to make an entry in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy. 

The Firozpur-born made the country proud in the U19 World Cup in 2018. He was the leading run-getter in the tournament with 372 runs and was adjudged as the ‘Player of the Tournament’. 

In his debut season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, he amassed 296 runs at an average of 33 in 14 matches. 

A splendid debut season saw the youngster being included in the limited-overs format for India against New Zealand in January 2019. 

Later that month, he made his ODI debut against New Zealand in a horrific display of batting by team India when they were bundled out for just 92 runs. 

It was only in the 2020 edition of the IPL that the whole world got a glimpse of the future star. The flamboyant batsman amassed 440 runs in his third season of the IPL and became the top run-getter for KKR. 

After travelling for almost a year with India’s Test squad, he finally made his Test debut against Australia on December 26th, 2020, helping his team comeback from behind and win the second Test match of the series. 

Gill’s career-defining moment came in the final Test of the series, when he and Rishabh Pant snatched victory from the hands of the Aussies on Day 5. 

He scored 91 runs to help India win the Test series, which seemed impossible at one stage. A year later, the Fazilka-born made his ODI debut and notched up his maiden Test century against Bangladesh in the same year. The following year marked his first outing in the T20 format.

On January 18, 2022, Gill became the fifth Indian batter to garner a double century in ODIs, and it came against New Zealand. He also became the youngest player to do so in ODIs.

The batter was released by KKR ahead of IPL 2022, but he proved them wrong by helping Gujarat Titans win the trophy. He amassed 483 runs, the second highest for Gujarat Titans, in 16 games in that season. 

Gill’s best season in IPL came in 2023, where he won the Orange Cap after scoring 890 runs in 17 matches– the second-most by a batter in a single IPL season.

After failing with the bat in the World Test Championship 2021-23 final versus Australia, he willingly changed his batting position to No.3 from opening. 

Soon, the ODI World Cup 2023 came, and Gill found himself at the centre of the limelight as the tournament was being seen as his first big test in international cricket. He got diagnosed with dengue and missed the first few games. However, he recovered well and opened for India at the grandest stage of them all, against Pakistan.

Gill amassed 354 runs in nine innings at a strike-rate of 106.95. This included an unbeaten 66-ball 80 in the semi-final clash against New Zealand. 

A first major blow in his career came when he got dropped from the T20I team in the Afghanistan series due to his below-average returns in the format. He had been struggling in Test cricket as well, with no big score lately threatening his chances to retain his place in India’s XI. The stylish right-hander made a brilliant comeback in the red-ball format, amassing 452 runs in 9 innings against England at the start of 2024.  

Ahead of IPL 2024, Gill was named as the captain of Gujarat Titans as Hardik Pandya left the franchise to join Mumbai Indians. 

The captain of Gujarat Titans continued to be a key figure in Indian cricket across formats. After leading GT in IPL 2024, where his team struggled and finished in the bottom three, he was named one of the four reserve players for India’s squad in the T20 World Cup 2024. However, he was released after the group stage matches in the USA as India progressed further in the tournament. India went on to win the title, securing their second T20 World Cup trophy.

In July, Gill took charge as India’s captain for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, guiding the team to a dominant 4-1 victory. Later that month, he played in the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka but couldn’t make a significant impact.

As the year progressed, Gill found his rhythm in Test cricket. He played a crucial role in India’s Test series against Bangladesh (Sep-Oct 2024), scoring a match-winning 119* in the first Test. This was followed by a solid performance against New Zealand (Oct-Nov 2024), where he registered a crucial 90 in the third Test.

Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, Gujarat Titans reaffirmed their faith in Gill’s leadership, retaining him for INR 16.50 crore in November 2024.

However, he faced a rough patch in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Nov 2024 - Jan 2025), managing only 93 runs in five innings. Despite this dip, he was named India’s vice-captain for the ODI series against England (Jan-Feb 2025). He bounced back in style, scoring 259 runs in three ODIs, including a match-winning 112 in the final game.

Later, the stylish top-order batter was named India’s Test captain after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from the longest format. 

Gill carried this form into the Champions Trophy 2025, where he delivered a standout performance against Pakistan, anchoring India’s chase with a brilliant 101* off 129 balls. He played crucial knocks throughout the tournament, helping India lift their seventh ICC trophy. 

His remarkable consistency in ODIs saw him rise to the top of the ICC rankings, making him the No. 1-ranked ODI batsman in the world. With his resilience, leadership, and ability to shine on the big stage, Gill further cemented his reputation as one of India’s brightest batting stars and a future leader across all formats.

(As of June 2025)