Former England captain Alastair Cook has endorsed Shubman Gill as India's potential successor to Virat Kohli after the young batter's impressive century on Day 3 of the second Test in Vizag on February 4.
Struggling to find form after moving to the no. 3 position to replace Cheteshwar Pujara, Gill had faced criticism for not scoring a fifty since his century against Australia last year.
However, the 24-year-old Gill silenced his critics with a remarkable 104, rescuing India from an early setback in the day. Despite a few close calls, he displayed composure throughout his innings, striking 11 boundaries and two sixes.
Cook praised Gill's performance on TNT Sports, lauding him as a significant talent and suggesting that many view him as the natural successor to Kohli. The former England captain emphasised that Gill must learn to handle the pressure of the entire nation, akin to how Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli managed during their tenures in the team.
"Gill played beautifully. He has serious talent... and there was probably quite a lot of pressure on his shoulders. At the World Cup [in India], all the billboards were of Kohli, but he's the next one they want to step into his shoes."
"That's a big thing to have the pressure of a country the size of India on your shoulders. As a young talent, that's something that the likes of Tendulkar and Kohli have dealt with... and he now has to learn to deal with it," said Cook.
Gill has made sure now that the selectors can't ignore him: Cook
Cook further said that Gill's presence in the Indian team for the remainder of the series ensures that the selectors cannot overlook him in the future.
"What we've seen today is just how talented he is, the shots he has, and we're definitely going to see him the rest of this series. He was out of form, hadn't scored many runs, and there's Rahul and Kohli to come back into the side, but he's made sure now that the selectors can't ignore him," the 39-year-old Cook concluded.
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