‘Shaw thinks he’s a star…’: Shubman’s childhood coach drops bombshell | Cricket

Gujarat Titans (GT) entered the final of the 2023 Indian Premier League on Friday night, beating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 62 runs in Qualifier 2 on Ahmedabad. The side produced a phenomenal performance in the game against Rohit Sharma’s men, posting a mammoth score of 233/3 in 20 overs; Shubman Gill was the star with the bat for the Titans, smashing an incredible 129 off just 60 deliveries. The defending champions, then, bowled MI out on 171 with Mohit Sharma taking a five-wicket haul.

Shubman’s performance left the fans and former cricketers in awe; the 23-year-old youngster smashed 10 sixes and seven fours in his knock. While Shubman took 32 deliveries for his half-century, he raced to his next fifty in only next 17 balls. The GT batter is currently the highest run-scorer in the season; the position he is likely to maintain after the final, as the next highest run-getter in Chennai Super Kings – their opponents in the title clash – is over 200 runs behind Shubman.

The youngster has had a stellar rise in stature over the past few months, having scored centuries across all formats of the game. Earlier this year, Shubman also smashed a double century in ODIs, and also impressed with quality outings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The batter is set to open with Rohit Sharma in the World Test Championship final as well, which takes place between June 7-11 next year.

Shubman’s childhood coach Karsan Ghavri, however, has made a rather explosive remark on the batter’s progress, as he made a critical comment on fellow batter Prithvi Shaw while comparing the two. Both, Shaw and Gill were part of India’s U19 World Cup-winning team in 2018; however, while Gill is an integral member of the national team across all formats, Shaw is far from reckoning in the Indian setup.

Additionally, Shaw also had a forgettable 2023 season in the IPL, scoring only 106 runs in 8 matches for the Delhi Capitals.

“They were in the same team that won the U-19 World Cup in 2018, right? Today where is Prithvi Shaw and where is Shubman Gill? They are in two different categories,” Ghavri told The Indian Express.

“Shaw thinks he is a star and nobody can touch him. But he needs to understand that at the international level, irrespective of whether you are playing T20, 50 over or the Test match or even the Ranji Trophy, it takes only one delivery to get you out.

“You require discipline and a good temperament. You need to constantly work on yourself. You are required to occupy the crease, and if you do that, you are bound to get more runs,” Ghavri said.

However, Ghavri also had words of motivation for Shaw, stating that the young right-handed batter needs to work on his weakness.

“They are of the same age. Nothing has been lost yet. Gill has worked on his flaws, while Shaw hasn’t. He still can. He needs to work hard; otherwise, there is no point having so much potential,” the former India pacer said.