India head coach Gautam Gambhir praised batter Shubman Gill after whitewashing England 3-0 in the ODI series with win in the third ODI on Feb 12. Gill had a wonderful series as a batter - scoring 259 runs in three innings at an average of 86.33. The batter went past fifty in each of the three matches including a hundred in the last ODI in Ahmedabad.
Gambhir backs Gill
"Look, the problem is that we keep judging people after every inning. He's still a young batter. He's still 25. He's got a great future ahead of him," said Gambhir at the post-match presentation on Wednesday. Gambhir's comments came on Gill's poor form on Australia Test tour like most of the batters.
"If he's been consistent in one format, Test cricket is tough, and he's shown that he belongs to that format as well. I hope that going forward, he can actually deliver in that format too. If someone can do it in 50-over cricket, why can't he do it in Test cricket as well? He's played some really good innings in the Test format," he said.
Also Read: Gill surpasses SA's Hashim Amla to become fastest to score 2500 ODI runs
"By judging a young cricketer after every inning, we're not going to carry Indian cricket forward like that. You've got to start putting trust in these young players. He's still 25. So, imagine what can happen in the next couple of years if we keep backing him and keep backing a lot of young cricketers in that dressing room. So, that is something we need to be clear about," Gambhir added.
India now turn their focus on Champions Trophy which begins February 19 in Pakistan. The Men In Blue, however, start their campaign on February 20 in Dubai, UAE. After facing Bangladesh in the first match, India face arch-rivals Pakistan on Feb 23 and New Zealand on March 2 in the last group-stage match.