'He has a bright future...': Wasim Akram's massive prediction for India star

Talking about the recently concluded season of IPL 2023, legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram showered massive praise on the Indian star.

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed the rise and rise of superstar Shubman Gill. Fresh from smashing multiple centuries for India in the international arena, opener Gill spearheaded the batting charge of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023. Batting like a dream in the league stage of the cash-rich league, Gill slammed a path-breaking century which not only dumped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) out of the IPL 2023 but his batting masterclass also secured Mumbai Indians' (MI) qualification to the playoffs.

Extending his free-scoring run at the IPL 2023 playoffs, Gill then smashed a brilliant century to eliminate Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2. The Indian opener finished the IPL 2023 as the leading run-getter and the winner of the Orange Cap was also named the Player of the Tournament. Talking about the standout performers of IPL 2023, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif showered praise on Gill, who smashed 890 runs in 17 matches this season.

“Gill is a very organized player and is mentally very strong. He knows how to score depending on the conditions. When big players strike form, they don’t relax. They are alert mentally and want to maximize their gains. The hunger and hard work Gill puts in during practice is evident. He singlehandedly won the game for Gujarat against Mumbai,” Kaif told Sportskeeda.

'Gaikwad has a bright future'

While Kaif showered praise on Gill, legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram observed that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has a bright future in Indian cricket. Gaikwad-starrer CSK upstaged defending champions Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. “He came up with an excellent performance under pressure. The plus with him is that he is physically very fit. He is a very good fielder and is young as well. Gaikwad has a bright future when it comes to Indian cricket as well as the franchises he plays for,” Akram said.

Gaikwad accumulated 590 runs for MS Dhoni and Co. in their title-winning season. Averaging 42.14, the CSK opener slammed four half-centuries in the recently concluded edition of the T20 tournament. The 26-year-old has amassed 1797 runs in 52 games for CSK. Gaikwad, who has played 10 T20Is for India, has been replaced by Yashasvi Jaiswal as a standby player in the Indian squad ahead of the World Test Championship final.