A spin wizard and one of the sharpest cricketing brains of his generation, R. Ashwin recently made a fascinating observation about the prince of Indian cricket, Shubman Gill. Describing Gill as a “great combination of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma,” Ashwin pointed out the striking similarities in their batting. He observed how Gill can play shots associated with both Kohli and Rohit, combining Kohli’s ability to use his feet and dominate from the front foot with Rohit’s back-foot play and capacity for big hitting.
And perhaps that is what makes Gill so fascinating. His batting appears to be an amalgamation of Virat Kohli’s calculated genius and finishing ability on the one hand, and the audacity and natural flair of Rohit Sharma’s scintillating strokeplay on the other.
The recent West Indies series almost seemed to write Ashwin’s words into the script.
In the first ODI, Virat Kohli produced a magnificent century, while Gill too brought up a hundred. In the second, Rohit Sharma responded with a century of his own, before Gill produced something extraordinary — a breathtaking double century, scoring 223 not out, to finish the game in emphatic fashion.
Gill possesses Kohli’s calculation, temperament and ability to finish an innings, while also displaying something of Rohit’s flair, freedom and extraordinary appetite for spectacular stroke-making.
But perhaps the most exciting part is that Gill is no longer merely a combination of the two.
He is increasingly becoming Gill — a player who has absorbed the qualities of two modern greats while beginning to carve out an identity entirely his own.
For Virat and Rohit, whose magnificent careers are moving towards their final chapters, there must be a quiet satisfaction in watching Gill’s emergence — not merely as a prolific batter, but as a leader entrusted with taking Indian cricket into great heights.
They carried Indian cricket for years.
Now, perhaps, they can watch the next generation carry it forward.
The prince is no longer waiting in the wings.
He is ready to wear the crown.
SOME HOPE FOR INDIAN FOOTBALL
And from the promise of a new era in Indian cricket, we move to another Indian game that has been waiting even longer for its own moment. Indian football, so often a story of waiting, offered its own little moment of hope.
The Blue Tigers held Panama to a memorable 1–1 draw in Bengaluru. Ryan Williams gave India the lead before Panama equalised, but the result was about more than the scoreline. Facing a World Cup side ranked 94 places above them, India showed that they could stand toe-to-toe with opposition from the game’s bigger stage.
It was not a victory. But sometimes, before a team learns how to win, it must first learn that it belongs on the same pitch.
We can be there.
And then came Brazil.
The yellow shirt, the samba, the memories of Pelé and generations of footballing magic — Brazil has always been more than a team to Indian football lovers.
Now, the five-time world champions are in Kolkata to face India in a historic friendly. For Indian football, it is one of those occasions when a dream comes close enough to touch.
And while football keeps moving from one dream to another, tennis has entered its own fascinating chapter.
CARLOS, ZVEREV CONTINUE TO SHINE
Carlos Alcaraz continues to make noise in Tokyo, while Alexander Zverev is producing a remarkable season as he plays in Beijing. The German, already a two-time Grand Slam champion this year, is closing the gap at the top of the rankings, with Jannik Sinner still holding the No. 1 spot.
With Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev and the old guard still refusing to disappear quietly, tennis remains beautifully unpredictable.
A MIXED SHOW AT ASIAD
And then, the Asian Games.
Achi-Nagoya has already given India medals, memories and moments of its own — from the boxing ring to the wrestling mat, from archery to hockey and beyond. With the Games entering their final day, India’s medal tally stands at 76 medals — 16 gold, 25 silver and 35 bronze.
The Indian contingent has delivered memorable performances across disciplines. From Lovlina Borgohain’s boxing gold and Sujeet Kalkal’s wrestling triumph to India’s historic women’s recurve team gold and the women’s hockey team’s long-awaited Asian Games title, the Games have produced moments that will remain part of India’s sporting memory.
But the full story of Aichi-Nagoya — the heroes, the heartbreaks and the medals that made India proud deserves a story of its own.
