India Test captain Shubman Gill has opened up about the challenges he faced during the early days of his cricketing career. Speaking on a YouTube podcast with Apple Music, released recently, Gill recalled a fallout between his father, Lakhwinder Singh, and his academy coach as well. And, because of that, Gill had to wake up at 3 a.m. to complete his practice sessions.

He shared: “During one of the initial phases, my dad kind of had a falling out with the academy coach that we were enrolled in, and he kicked us out from the academy. That academy was like a public academy, not a private academy. The coach used to have his sessions from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning and then from 4:00 to 6:00 in the evening.”

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“So my dad used to wake me up at 3:00 to practice from 3:00 to 6:00 before he came. I used to wake up at 3:00, practice from 3:00 to 6:00, then go to school. Then I’d take a half day when the coach would finish his academy at around 11:00 a.m. or so. Then I’d come back and practice from 11 till 3, and then he’d come back again,” he added. “We did this for a couple of years. I don’t have any bad memories or anything like that, but this phase was a little challenging, waking up at 3:00 every day in the morning. Sometimes, as a kid, you just don’t want to wake up. But I’m very grateful that my dad kept me pushing through it.”

However, Shubman Gill also shared one of the proudest moments of his cricketing career so far as well. He recalled
the questions and doubts that arose when he was appointed as India’s Test captain ahead of the England series. But, under his leadership, India drew the five-match series 2-2.

“Before the series, when I was named captain of the team, there were a lot of questions around me and the kind of series that we had as a team, and me as a player and as a batsman. I think this whole series I would put together as one moment, and this is what’s been the most satisfying series for me: the most satisfying moments,” Shubman Gill concluded.