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XtraTime Web Desk: Shubman Gill will be one of the few young cricketers in world cricket to watch out for when cricket returns after the coronavirus pandemic. The year 2020 could well be the launching pad for the talented cricketer to showcase his potentiality. Few youngsters in world cricket have attracted so much attention as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cricketer. Gill’s penchant for scoring runs at a brisk space, coupled with astounding consistency has set him above the rest at such a young age.

Born in Fazika in Punjab, Shubman had a knack of playing cricket since he was three years old. For a kid of his age, he preferred to have a bat in his hand instead of toys. Shubman’s father Lakhwinder Singh, noticing an interest in his son took him to the farm to throw balls at him. Convinced about his son’s talent, Lakhwinder moved his family to Mohali and rented a house near the PCA Stadium so that his son could train there.

Young Shubman came into prominence when he scored an unbeaten double century in his debut U16 Vijay Merchant Trophy match. Since making his Ranji Trophy debut against Bengal in November 2017, Shubman has scored over 2,000 runs in his 21 first-class games at an average of 73.55. He already has seven first class hundreds under his belt. His career-best 268 in the Ranji Trophy game against Tamil Nadu has been a highlight of his career so far.

Following his success in domestic cricket, Shubman was soon drafted in the U19 World Cup squad in 2018. He stole the show, scoring 372 runs at an average of 124.00 helping India to lift the title for a record fourth time. His match-winning 102 not out in the semi-final against arch-rivals Pakistan U-19 has been the highlight of the tournament.

In January 2018, Shubman was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹1.8 crore (US$250,000) in the 2018 IPL auction. His 57 not out from 36 balls against Chennai Super Kings after being elevated from No 7 as his side reached their target of 178 with 14 balls to spare. Gill brought up his maiden IPL fifty from just 32 deliveries and struck three fours off Shane Watson in the first six balls he faced.

So far in his short international career so far Gill has not had the same success. In his debut ODI against New Zealand in Hamilton early in the year, Gill scored only 7 runs and followed it up with another failure, scoring just 7 runs in the fifth ODI at Wellington.

Shubman’s best quality is his ability to be level headed and that has been the secret behind his phenomenal success at the age group level. It's time now for Shubman to launch his way to success in International cricket.