Time has come for them to put him at the top: Dean Jones about Shubman Gill

Time has come for them to put him at the top: Dean Jones about Shubman Gill

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Shubhman Gill (Pic Credits: Getty images)

After Shubman Gill scored a sparkling century against Pakistan in the semi-final, he was also named the Player of the Tournament in the U19 World Cup in New Zealand, for an overall good batting display.

Recently, former Australian cricketer, Dean Jones reckoned that Gill should open the batting for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Fazilka-born Gill came to the fore in 2018, on the backs of the performances, he got into the Knights setup.

He scored his maiden IPL fifty against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2018 itself, although he didn’t get a lot of chances to bat in the first few games.

Gill didn’t flatter to deceive and was rightly retained by KKR for the 2020 edition, in the preceding season.

Dean Jones about Shubhman Gill

Dean Jones and Shubman Gill

“I want to see Shubman Gill open the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders. I think there is an opportunity for it now and the time has come for them to put him at the top of the order and let him play,” Jones was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Jones also said that the 20-year-old will among the players to watch out for in the IPL, scheduled to get underway on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the veteran feels that Gill has all the potential to succeed at the top of the order.

When India toured New Zealand for a five-match series in 2019, he also played a couple of ODIs. Talking about the IPL, Shubman has played 27 matches, scoring 499 runs at 33.27 with four half-centuries to show for his efforts.

Moreover, Jones is also keen on seeing how he performs with MS Dhoni still in the mix. “I am also very keen to see how Rishabh Pant plays. He has been a bit up and down and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of knowing that Dhoni is back playing,” he added.

Moreover, he is also excited to watch Rishab Pant play for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL. 

Also read: If Dhoni doesn’t play well in IPL 2020, his come back chances are over: Dean Jones