India vs New Zealand: ‘Feared about Shubman Gill,’ Kapil Dev uses Sachin Tendulkar analogy ahead of World Cup semi-final

livemint.com:

India vs New Zealand, ICC World Cup 2023: Shubman Gill surpassed Pakistan skipper Babar Azam as the number 1 in the One Day International (ODI) cricket. The 24-year-old Indian opener has been great in every format of the game this year and never misses out on showing his brilliant techniques.

But, ahead of the India vs New Zealand World Cup semi-finals, former Indian skipper Kapil Dev expressed his fears about Shubman Gill and has used the Sachin Tendulkar analogy for the same. While speaking on a podcast with Ranveer Allahabadia, Kapil Dev spoke about Sachin Tendulkar's talent when he made his debut in 1989 and how he was scared if the 15-year-old batter could sustain that much success.

Kapil Dev expressed the same reservations about Shubman Gill, pointing towards his exceptional batting skills. “He (Sachin Tendulkar) was too young, just 15-year-old so you treat him like a baby, but I think within 6 months the way he played, the way he conducted himself, we understood that he has some special talent.

But, the only fear with such talented players is that when you get so much at a young age, can you sustain, that's the thing we feared about," Kapil Dev said in a conversation with Ranveer. The World Cup winning skipper mentioned Shubman Gill in the same answer and said, "Today Shubman Gill has no problems, but as he grows older then you ask where are his distractions, as today you only have one focus but as the distractions come, the thought processes also changes." The remarks from the Indian legend came as India is set to face New Zealand in the ICC World Cup semi-finals on 15 November at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.