There are only a handful of youngsters across the globe, who are much sought after, and have already started to make a mark for themselves in the world of cricket. The first name that comes to mind is talented India batsman Shubman Gill, who has impressed one and all with his storkeplay and temperament, both. The 21-year-old has been in the scheme of things of Team India for the last couple of years, and has done well in the limited opportunities he has got.

But it was the hard tour of Australia, where he really came of age and established himself as a regular in the Test team. The boy, who averages over 60 in first-class cricket, went on to slam three fifties, with 91 being his highest score. The experts too, don’t shy away from calling him the next big thing in Indian cricket.

IPL 2021 Full Coverage | IPL 2021 Schedule | IPL 2021 Points Tally

Even in IPL, he has managed to impress equally. In the first three seasons, he scored over 900 runs in the tournament, where he scored eight fifties in 41 games, at an average over 31. His franchise KKR, seemed to have found a gem, who could go on to serve them for a very long time, and hopefully, help them win a few titles.

But 2021 hasn’t been great for the lad from Punjab. He has struggled with timing and form. So much so, that his highest score this season in five matches is 33, and has scored only 80 runs at an average of 16. A rare, bad patch from Gill’s bat has spelled doom on KKR and they have lost four matches out of five and are last on the points table.

Gill’s inability to score runs at the top of the order has added pressure on the entire team, and the middle-order has succumbed, including skipper Eoin Morgan. This clearly indicates that he is certainly the most important batsman in their ranks, and if he succeeds, the team does too, and vice versa.

ALSO READ:IPL 2021: ‘I Love to Enjoy My Batting

It is safe to assume that we are in the first half of the tournament, and the youngster will have enough opportunities to bounce back. Even chief mentor David Hussey feels so, and has reposted his faith in Gill saying, he will emerge as the highest run-scorer at the end of the tournament.

“He is a star player, he took the Test match arena by storm in Australia. He is very specific and he has a great work ethic. All I can say is that form will come and go, class is always permanent. He is one class individual, both on and off the field. Mark my words, he will be one of the highest-scoring batsmen by the end of the tournament. He is an absolute class act.”