India Test captain Shubman Gill who is also Suryakumar Yadav's deputy in the Asia Cup 2025, recently revealed that batting greats Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are his two cricketing idols. The young Test captain has emerged as one of India's most consistent batters and is making his mark in leadership after being appointed as Rohit Sharma's sucessor to lead India in whites. Gill captained India in the five-Test match series of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 in England, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
After the five-Test match series against England, Gill made his comeback in the shortest format of the game after being named as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy for the Asia Cup 2025. Gill, who is also known as “The Prince” in reference to Kohli’s “The King,” revealed in a podcast on Apple Music that he first idolised Tendulkar, his father’s favourite, and later began looking up to Kohli as he matured as a player.
“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.”
“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 techniques, but hunger is something you either have or you don’t. Virat had it in abundance, and that really inspired me.”
Gill's last international outing came in India's Asia Cup 2025 clash against the UAE, where he played a match-winning, unbeaten 20-run knock that helped India chase down 58 runs in just 4.2 overs at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai. India will now face Pakistan in their second group stage clash of the Asia Cup, which will take place on September 14 at the same venue.