‘Thor hai bhai Zara gor se dekh’ – Fans react as star India batter Shubman Gill calls Virat Kohli ‘Hulk’ in CEAT Cricket Rating Awards

Star India batter Shubman Gill won the International Cricketer of the Year Award at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards 2023. On Monday, he also clinched the ODI Cricketer of the Year Award. At the ceremony, Gill also praised former India skipper Virat Kohli and compared him with Marvel superhero The Hulk.

During the event, Gill was asked to name a superhero character that suits Kohli. In response, Gill said that Kohli is a Hulk because he has that energy. “Hulk, he’s that Hulk energy”, says Gill. It’s worth noting that Gill received his awards from India skipper Rohit Sharma and thanked him for his constant support. Gill said I thank Coach and Captain for backing me despite Ishan Kishan’s double century.

“Our captain and coach gave me the opportunity and backed me even after Ishan scored a double tonne; I was fortunate,” Shubman Gill said at the CEAT awards. Notably, Gill is set to open the batting with Rohit Sharma in the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup. In the next two months, his performance at the top will decide India’s fate in two prestigious tournaments.

Brendon McCullum and Matthew Hayden back Shubman Gill

Despite being India’s highest run scorer in the ODI format this year, Gill had a poor West Indies tour. He failed to score runs against the West Indies and increased team management’s tension. However, England head coach Brendon McCullum backs Gill. McCullum said that Gill has more talent than most of the international cricketers. He said, “Shubman Gill is someone I really enjoyed working with. He’s someone who has more talent than most of the international players.”

Meanwhile, legendary Australian batter Matthew Hayden also backed Gill. He said that India’s future is in safe hands, as Gill and Tilak Verma are rising stars. “It is this extreme talent, especially within the batting sense, that brings India to life. Gill hasn’t played a lot of one-day cricket for his country yet. Tilak Varma hasn’t played a game of one-day cricket for his country. But that doesn’t mean they’re not able to deliver. So, I feel very confident in the fact that Indian cricket is in good hands,” says Hayden.

Here is how fans reacted to Shubman Gill’s comments: