Exclusive: 'Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill have very bright futures,' claims Maninder Singh

New Delhi, Jan 20: Young India cricketers Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj's stocks are rising exponentially in international cricket. Former India cricketer Maninder Singh has lauded their progression on the international stage and backed them to go the distance.

Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj performance in 2023

Gill and Siraj - who were the stars in Team India's win over New Zealand in the first ODI in Hyderabad - have started 2023 on a confident note with their consistent performances.

Siraj - who was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series against Sri Lanka - picked up four wickets against the Blackcaps and continues to establish himself as a serious contender for the ODI World Cup squad.

While 23-year-old, Gill, is emerging as a first-choice opening partner for captain Rohit Sharma and jamming doors for Shikhar Dhawan's return to the national side. The talented right-handed batter became the youngest player to slam an ODI double hundred and reposed the faith of team management shown in him.

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Maninder Singh commends Gill & Siraj

While speaking with MyKhel over phone, Maninder Singh - the former India off-spinner - praised both the cricketers for taking their game to the next level after early setbacks in their international careers.

"Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill have very bright futures because they are both very rhythmic players. If you look at Siraj's run-up, it's very rhythmic and effortless which will ensure his career won't be affected by injuries. He needs to be utilised well because when he made his foray into international cricket, he looked distracted and was trying too hard to pick up wickets. He was getting carried away by the excitement and pressure of international cricket. But he seems to have listened to the advice from the seniors and applied it in his game which seems to have translated into his consistency. I think he will go a long way," Maninder opined.

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Maninder Singh international career

The 57-year-old cricketer who has played 59 ODIs and 35 Tests for India and picked up 66 and 88 wickets respectively, also lauded Gill after his marathon knock of 208 against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

Gill ODI and Test batting

The cricketer-turned-commentator also claimed that the Punjab cricketer will continue to open in ODIs but might soon be asked to bat in the middle-order in Test cricket for he has all the ingredients to be the next big thing for India in the red-ball format.

"Just like Siraj, Shubman Gill is destined to serve Indian cricket for a long time. If you look at his batting, he's got that extra time. If you ask me, I will play him as an opener in the ODIs but in Test cricket, I would put him in the middle order. Although he's opened for India in red-ball cricket as well and believe me, he's going to bat in the middle-order in the coming days," he stated.

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'Classy batter' Gill should bat in the middle-order in Tests: Maninder

Decoding the success behind Gill's improved batting performances, the left-arm orthodox spinner said, "He's also a classy player. In his early days, it looked as if he was trying to play a lot of shots in limited-overs cricket. He's also getting better with every passing day and he has also understood the value of spending time at the crease be it T20Is, ODIs, or Tests. If you apply yourself well into the middle you are going to play big knocks more often than not because if you are looking to play a stroke on every ball in international cricket, then you'll end up losing your wicket, which was the case with him in the early days. But he's shown a lot of maturity and his game sense has improved exponentially."

Singh is optimistic about both Gill and Siraj and believes we are going to hear a lot of good things about them.

"I strongly believe that we are going to see a lot of good things about both the players. I have my best wishes for both of them because they are both entertainers and we would love to see such entertainers do well on the cricket field constantly," he signed off.