"Was sad then Mahi Bhai came and said your debut was better than mine...."- Gill recalls a special moment of his ODI debut with MS Dhoni
Every player dreams of representing his country at the highest level as soon as he starts playing the game. Some get success in this, while some couldn't make this happen. However, earning a national cap is the most important aim for any young cricketer.
Shubman Gill was one such cricketer who fulfilled his dream of playing for his country. He was taken into the team directly after the U19 World Cup's successes. He got his maiden ODI call in 2019, during India's tour of New Zealand.
However, he didn't have the start that he would have liked and scored 9 runs off 21 balls, and Team India lost that game in Hamilton by 8 wickets. After failing to make any impression, the youngster was sitting in the corner when the former Indian captain, MS Dhoni, came to him, and Gill was seen smiling after that conversation.
And now, three years later, the young Indian star remembered that moment and recalled what MSD said to him. In a chat show called "Dil Diyan Gallan," hosted by Sonam Bajwa, Gill revealed the conversation he had with Dhoni after failing in his ODI debut in 2019.
He said that MSD came to him when he was sad and told him about his own ODI debut. The 23-year-old then recalled that the former Indian skipper was dismissed for a golden duck in his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2004 and that, in fact, he was run out without facing a single ball.
Gill said, "I was then around 18-19 years old. He told me at least your debut was better than mine. I realised he was dismissed for golden duck in his debut. He did not face a single ball and was run out. Then he started laughing and joking and I was touched by that gesture."
In conversation with Sonam Bajwa, Shubman Gill recalls his debut match against NZ and MS Dhoni's kind gesture towards him. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NJ9rwKaqa9
— Shubman Gill FC (@shubmangillfans) November 18, 2022
Gill is currently on India's tour of New Zealand for three T20Is and three ODIs. He is looking to make his T20I debut in the ongoing three-match T20I series. However, the first game was abandoned due to rain, and the second match will take place on Sunday at Bay Oval.