At just 14, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has taken the cricketing world by storm with his fearless stroke play for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and later for India U-19 against England. Many fans and pundits already see him as the next big thing. But when former India head coach Ravi Shastri was asked to name the rising star of Indian cricket, he didn’t go with the young sensation from Bihar.
Instead, Ravi Shastri picked someone older, more proven, and already making waves — 25-year-old Shubman Gill from Punjab, a mainstay for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL.
For Ravi Shastri, there’s no debate. “No question, Shubman Gill,” he said. “He’ll be around for a long, long time. We’ve seen the kind of series he’s had in England. He’s only 25, and with this exposure, he’ll get even better. He’s composed, regal, easy on the eye, and has the ability to play long innings.”
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Shubman Gill’s journey speaks volumes about his hunger and class. Since debuting for India at 19 in Hamilton on January 31, 2019, he has already played 113 matches across formats, amassing over 6,000 runs. He’s also been the world’s No. 1 ODI batter for more than five months. His latest triumph came in the high-voltage five-match Test series in England, where he piled up 754 runs — a staggering tally that made him the series’ standout performer.
Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket, Gill was handed the captaincy — and he responded by rewriting history. In his first series as skipper, he broke the record for the most runs in a Test series by an Indian captain and became the first Asian player to score 700+ runs in a Test series in SENA nations (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia).
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Next up, Gill will lead North Zone in the 2025 Duleep Trophy, starting August 28 in Bengaluru. With the Asia Cup 2025 selection looming, the stylish right-hander is firmly in the mix — and if his current form is any indication, he’s far from done rewriting records.
