Shubman Gill mirrors Virat Kohli’s career: From U-19 to Test captaincy records -coincidences aplenty | Cricket News

Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill

In a sport that thrives on legacy and inspiration, Shubman Gill is quietly scripting a journey that mirrors the great Virat Kohli in more ways than one. The similarities between the two batters are not just striking, they are uncanny. From Under-19 World Cup heroics to commanding Test captaincy debuts, Gill seems to be walking a path once tread by Kohli himself. Both Gill and Kohli scored centuries in all three international formats, a feat few have achieved. Their first big moments came in the U19 World Cup where both notched up centuries and hinted at the greatness that lay ahead. At 23, both brought up their maiden Test hundreds, and both rose to become the No.1 ranked ODI batter in the ICC rankings. Their batting consistency in the 50-over format also saw them reach 1000 ODI runs while averaging above 50. Each won their first Man of the Match award against the West Indies, scored their first ODI fifties in their fourth game, and remarkably, lost their T20I captaincy debuts but bounced back to win the series.

In the IPL, they are the only Indians to score over 800 runs in a season and also the only ones with multiple centuries in a single edition. Both won the Orange Cap and MVP award in the same year and even scored IPL hundreds at their home venues with nearly identical stats — 101 runs with 13 boundaries and just one six, all in 2023. In Tests, their brilliance continued. Both scored 250-plus as captain, both struck a century on Test captaincy debut, and both registered their first ICC hundred against Bangladesh while staying unbeaten.

They also shared more quirky similarities — a 200-plus partnership with Rohit Sharma, maiden T20I tons as openers with strike rates over 200, identical innings tallies (139) to reach their 17th international century, and scoring patterns in ICC knockout stages. Both began their international journeys wielding MRF bats against Australia. In one of the more recent parallels, Gill matched Kohli by leading India to a Test win in England after declaring in the third innings — a rare strategic move. Like Kohli, he also won his first Test Man of the Match award as captain against England.These striking coincidences and stats were first compiled by @Shebas_10dulkar. Shubman Gill may have been inspired by Kohli, but he’s now carving out a legacy that might one day inspire the next generation of Indian cricketers in the same way.