India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill has revealed the two legends who inspired him to play cricket. Speaking on a podcast, Gill shared how his love for the game grew by watching Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
In a podcast on Apple Music, Gill said, “I have had two idols. The first one was Sachin Tendulkar. He was my dad’s favourite, and I actually got into cricket because of him. He retired in 2013, and around 2011–2013 was when I really started to understand cricket properly—not just the skills, but also the mental and tactical side of the game.”
Gill then explained that watching Kohli shaped his own approach towards cricket.
“That was also the time I began following Virat Kohli closely. I loved watching the way he went about his business, the sheer passion he had for the game, and the hunger he carried. You can learn all the skills and all the technique, but hunger is something you either have or you don’t. Virat had it in abundance, and that really inspired me,” he added.
Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain and is now the vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is. Currently, he is playing in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE. In the first match against the hosts, he opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma.
After India bundled out the UAE for just 57, they chased down the target in only 4.3 overs with nine wickets in hand. Gill remained not out on 20 runs off nine balls, at a strike rate of 222.22.
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz