'He is has been in class form over last 5-6 months' - Mohammad Kaif applauds Indian youngster ahead of New Zealand tour

After a humiliating 10-wicket loss to England in the semi-finals of the 20-20 World Cup 2022, India is all set to tour New Zealand for three T20Is and three ODIs beginning on Friday, November 18. Shubman Gill is in marvellous form and has performed exceptionally well over the last few months. The former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif also heaped praise on him for his recent performances. 

Hardik Pandya will lead the Men In Blue in the shortest format for the upcoming tour, and the left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan will be captaining the side in the ODIs. In the T20I series, the young pace bowling sensation, Umran Malik, will be making his comeback, after being dropped just after the Ireland T20I series. He will be playing alongside Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav in the bowling lineup. Shubman Gill has also got a maiden call-up for the T20Is. 

Former batter, Kaif has lauded the selectors for selecting Gill for the T20 team and said that the 23-year-old has been in “class form”.

He played a crucial role in the Gujarat franchise: Kaif

"He is has been in class form over the last 5-6 months. He played a crucial role in the Gujarat franchise's Indian T20 triumph. He has scored a lot of runs, and averages between 50-60 in first-class cricket. During this tour, all eyes will be on Shubman Gill. He only played in ODIs earlier but the selectors did the right thing to call him to the T20I side," Kaif told Sportskeeda. 

The Fazilka-born cricketer made his ODI debut in 2019. To date, he has featured in 12 ODIs and has scored 579 runs so far. The right-hand batter smashed his maiden international ton against Zimbabwe during a three-match ODI series in August. 

In Tests, Gill has scored 579 runs in the 11 matches he has played for India. Apart from this, he has also appeared in County Cricket as well where he made his debut for Glamorgan. He struck his maiden century against Sussex.