Top-order batters Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw were the stars of the Indian team during the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2018. Shaw was the captain of the side in that tournament and he impressed everyone with both his batting and leadership skills. During the tournament, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly predicted a better future for Gill as compared to Shaw.
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After Gill’s century in the World Cup semi-final against Pakistan U-19, Ganguly chose Gill over Shaw in terms of talent. Ganguly called both of them special, but there was something special in Gill as per Dada. The way he used to time the ball was something that impressed everyone in the tournament.
Shaw made his international debut a few months before Gill in a home Test against West Indies in 2018. He scored a brilliant century as well in that match but his career never took that acceleration. Gill, on the other hand, made his debut in an ODI match in 2019 but he couldn’t leave a mark on his debut tour.
Sourav Ganguly Predicted A Brighter Future For Shubman Gill Than Prithvi Shaw
After that knock against the arch-rivals, Ganguly compared Gill to players like New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and legendary Brian Lara. It is certain that the way Gill has transformed himself as an all-format player, Ganguly was very right in his call.
“I actually feel Shubman Gill is a better player than Prithvi Shaw. I feel he is the best player in this team. He is a bit like Brian Lara and Kane Williamson,” Ganguly had told India Today back in the day.
Former India captain Virat Kohli also said that he was not even 10% of what Gill was at his age. Talking about talent, Shaw is also one of the bests in the country but his fitness and off-field controversies have let him down. There have been reports about disciplinary concerns as well against the Delhi Capitals‘ opener.
Currently, Gill has cemented his position across formats in the the Indian team. Shaw, meanwhile, is nowhere near the national squad in spite of being part of a T20I series at home earlier this year. Forget international cricket, Shaw was not even a regular in Indian Premier League 2023 for DC. Readers must note that Ganguly was Delhi’s Director of Cricket as well in IPL.
Shubman Gill vs Prithvi Shaw Stats Battle
In his only T20I for India, Shaw got out on a golden duck in that match. Gill, on the contrary, has played six matches and already has a century in the format. In ODIs, Shaw has scored 189 runs at an average of 31.50, whereas Gill has scored 1,311 runs at 65.55 with the help of four centuries and five half-centuries.
In Tests, Shaw has scored 339 runs at an average of 42.38, whereas Gill has scored 903 runs at 33.44. Shaw’s numbers are a bit better than Gill but the later has scored runs in some tough conditions.
