Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill was born on 8 September 1999 in Fazilka, Punjab, into a Sikh farming family. His father, Lakhwinder Singh, had wanted a cricket career of his own and moved the household to Mohali so Shubman could train near the PCA Stadium. The technical polish arrived early; the public proof arrived at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, where India won a fourth title and Gill — vice-captain, 372 runs at 124.00 — was named Player of the Tournament.

Senior India followed quickly: ODI debut against New Zealand in January 2019, Test debut at Melbourne on Boxing Day 2020, and a defining 91 in the Gabba chase that helped India take the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In January 2023 he scored 208 against New Zealand in Hyderabad — the youngest double century in men’s ODIs — then completed the rare set of international centuries across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. Franchise cricket scaled with him: Kolkata Knight Riders first, then Gujarat Titans, where he took the 2023 IPL Orange Cap with 890 runs and later the captaincy.

Leadership arrived in a compressed window. He became India’s Test captain in 2025 and, after a prolific England series that included 269 at Edgbaston, took the ODI armband from Rohit Sharma in October 2025 with the 2027 World Cup already in the selectors’ brief. Rohit and Virat Kohli remained in the ODI squad; Gill’s job is to own the format’s next cycle while still batting near the top of the ICC ODI rankings. He was part of India’s Champions Trophy–winning side in Dubai earlier in 2025 under Rohit.

For The Medalist’s cricket beat, Gill is the clearest bridge between India’s junior pipeline and its commercial present. The IPL made him a household face before full multi-format captaincy; the BCCI is now asking him to turn that form into a World Cup campaign. The open question is not talent — it is whether one batter can carry Test and ODI leadership without the calendar chewing the average that got him the job.