Skipped work, family functions to support Shubman Gill's cricket career: Father

Chandigarh: India U-19 player Shubhman Gill's father is elated at the performance of his son in the ongoing World Cup in New Zealand, saying the youngster has always been a dedicated cricketer.

"Shubhman has always been dedicated to the game of cricket. I am very happy and proud of my son's performance in the ongoing World Cup," Gill's father Lakhwinder Singh told PTI on Tuesday.

"We are elated with his century in today's match against Pakistan and defeating the Pakistani team," he said. Asked when Gill showed his inclination towards cricket, Lakhwinder said he had always been passionate about the game since the age of three.

Also read: How Shubman Gill followed Rahul Dravid’s World Cup over IPL advice to tame Pakistan

"Shubhman never liked any other toy. He always loved playing with the bat and ball. He used to play with cricket bat and ball even during going to bed," he said. Gill's family belongs to a village in Fazilka in Punjab.

"We fully supported him for achieving his dream to become a cricketer. We dedicated 15 years on him to enable him become a world class cricketer. We even left our work and skipped several family functions including marriage ceremonies of our relatives so we could dedicate as much time as we could on him," said Lakhwinder who is now based at Mohali.

The 18-year-old Gill scored 102 not out to help India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by 203 runs in the U-19 World Cup semifinal match in Christchurch on Sunday.

Gill, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 1.8 crore in the Indian Premier League players' auction, is the team's leading scorer with 341 runs.