Rishabh Pant'a competitor for future India captaincy spotted by Wasim Akram, compares him to Sachin Tendulkar

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Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has reckoned that young opener Shubman Gill can one day become the captain of the Indian cricket team. The comments from the legendary cricketer comes after Gill's stellar campaign in the IPL 2023.

The 23-year-old right-hand batter smashed 890 runs in the tournament at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80 to win the Orange Cap for the IPL 2023 season. His performance for India has also been top notch. Gill has already hit at least one century in each of the three formats.

Akram expressed surprise at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) letting go of the Punjab-born batter before adding that he has got the capabilities to win not just matches but tournaments.

"His basics are good. I don't understand how his previous IPL franchise released him. Not realising his potential, not realising he can be the future captain not just for his franchise but perhaps eventually for India too. And not realising that this guy is going to win them tournaments, not just games," Akram told Sportskeeda.

Bowling to Shubman Gill is like bowling to Sachin Tendulkar: Wasim Akram

Further, Akram opined that bowling to Gill would be as difficult as bowling to Tendulkar because of his tendency to rely on proper cricketing shots. Calling Gill an all-format player, he predicted that the Gujarat Titans (GT) cricket is an upcoming superstar of world cricket.

“When I bowl to a player like Gill, even in T20 format, it's like I am bowling to Sachin Tendulkar in one-day cricket in the first 10 overs, when only two fielders were allowed (outside the 30-yard circle). If I had to bowl to Jayasuriya or Kaluwitharna.

"I knew I had a chance. I can get them out as they hit on every ball. But, players like Sachin and Gill, they play proper cricketing shots. I think he is the kind of player who can score in all three formats consistently. He is a future superstar of world cricket,” Akram said.

Gill will now be seen playing in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia from June 7 at The Oval in London.