It takes a village

As the country watched Shubman Gill interact with former England captain Nasser Hussain in the post-match interview after India won the second Test in Edgbaston last Sunday, the staccato replies by the 25-year-old were hard to miss.

There was none of the euphoria or long-winded explanation that often accompanies an emotional moment. Shubman was deadpan in catharsis, responding calmly to the questions, as if he were shrugging off the historic moment.

The foundation of this ability to contain himself was laid long ago when Shubman was a mere three years old in Chak Khere Wala (Jaimal Singh Wala), his ancestral village, 10 km from the India-Pakistan border in Punjab’s Fazilka district. His father, Lakhwinder Singh, gave him a cricket bat to hold at that precocious age, and grandfather Didar Singh built a makeshift pitch in the courtyard of their house.

Shubman’s story is also Lakhwinder’s story, a father-son saga of determination to reach the highest levels.

As the child grew into a boy, the cricket bat and ball became a constant companion. Lakhwinder would bounce the ball off the manji, the string cot that permanently sat in the courtyard, so that it spun and skid off the cot’s ropes and Shubman learnt to anticipate the direction in which it would land.

When he was recently named captain of the Indian Test squad, Shubman talked about his father’s influence in an interview with retired wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik for Sky Sports. “Honestly, I don’t even think he (Lakhwinder) dreamt of me being the Indian Test captain… nor did I. All I remember, when I was a kid, I just wanted to play for India, I wanted to perform for India, and I wanted to win matches. My father called me when the news broke out (being named captain). I had known about the captaincy, but didn’t break it to him because I was like, when it’s official, I’ll tell him. But we had a very heartfelt conversation once he got to know,” Shubman said.

In Chak Khere Wala, the family owned a large chunk of agriculture land, on which they grew what most Punjab farmers grow — the eternal cycle of paddy and wheat. Lakhwinder soon built a proper pitch so that young Shubman could concentrate on his batting. The cricket balls would rain down on him fast and loose, as many as 500, 600, even 700 a day. Legend has it that the father would offer Rs 100 to any village boy who could get Shubman’s wicket.

Shubman soon grew accustomed to the life of breathing and dreaming cricket. Lakhwinder kept him close, not allowing him to be groomed by anyone else during those vulnerable years.

If not a cricketer, he would have become a successful farmer, Shubman’s 90-year-old paternal grandfather Didar Singh Gill told The Tribune. “To become a successful cricketer was the only goal his father gave him,” he added.

A sports fanatic and a former kabaddi player, Didar wanted his son Lakhwinder to become either a wrestler or a professional kabaddi player. An injury in the thigh meant Lakhwinder could not pursue his sporting goals; instead, he invested his time and energy on son Shubman.

“We used to make him play with the wooden handle of a garden spade, instead of a bat. This was his technique to follow the ball and time his response better. He would spend hours and hours on the ground. I remember playing on the field with the same piece of wood. Had I got a broad piece (bat) in my young days, I could have played better cricket,” laughed Didar Singh.

“Dedication is the key to success. Youngsters should value their life and health and eat a good diet,” he said.

Surjit Singh Jaimalwala, a neighbour, recalled how “Lakhwinder Paji was famous for being Shubman’s coach” in the region. “They have really worked hard and also put nets for village youngsters on their land. Babaji (Didar Singh) didn’t let go of his passion for sports and passed it on to his son and grandson. They have made us all proud and Babaji is a role model for all of us,” Jaimalwala said.

When he was seven, Lakhwinder moved Shubman to Mohali. The land provided the family enough to live on and more. The father’s dreams began and ended with his son. Nothing else mattered.

Lakhwinder would stand for hours behind the nets at the IS Bindra Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium grounds to teach his son, applaud him and reprimand him. If there was a wedding in the family, or a child born or an ageing relative passing away, neither Lakhwinder nor Shubman was available.

When he was 14, Gill made his Under-16 debut in style by scoring 1,018 runs in seven matches, including five centuries and three half-centuries. He led Punjab to the title, defeating Madhya Pradesh in the final. He was awarded the BCCI Best Junior Cricketer — a title he would hold for two consecutive years

Later, in 2014, Shubman again hogged the limelight when he played for Mohali against Amritsar in the inter-district U-16 tournament for the ML Markan Trophy. He and Nirmal Singh stitched together a record-breaking 587-run stand in domestic cricket. The partnership bettered the old record, a 561-run stand for the first wicket between Pakistani cricketers Waheed Mirza and Mansoor Akhtar in 1977, between Karachi Whites and Quetta at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Former PCA secretary GS Walia remembers the unusual father-son combination who would show up at the nets day after day, come rain or shine. “One day, the coach asked me if we should allow the duo to practice for such long hours. I questioned him back on whether they were misusing the pitch. There was silence, so I told the coach that if a player and his father from the district are using the pitch for cricket, let them do it… this was my answer,” said Walia.

Former Punjab Ranji player Sandeep Sharma, who now plays for Chandigarh, recalls Shubman’s intense focus. “We used to share dressing rooms during the Ranji Trophy and he would love to play for hours. His dedication and ability to hit the ball is marvellous. The result is clearly visible today. His father has nurtured him well and he’s very well aware about his strengths,” said Sharma.

Shubman made his first-class debut for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy in late 2017 and also captained the side. He was drafted into the India U-19 side as the vice-captain for the 2018 World Cup. He led the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League and India in the T20 format in the 2014 five-game series in Zimbabwe.

His recent achievements are a gurudakshina to his father. “Every parent wants their child to fulfil their dreams, and Shubman did it with all concentration and dedication,” said Siddarth Kaul, a former India player who, along with Shubman, was a member of the Punjab Ranji team.

Kaul still remembers when he first saw Shubman. “Gurkeerat Mann (another Ranji player from Punjab) used to tell us about Shubman. They used to play for Mohali. It was during a tournament at KCA when I watched him play for the first time. Soon after the U-19 World Cup, he joined the Ranji squad and was brilliant with the bat. His father really worked hard on him.”

Now, after a decade, Shubman has once again put himself under the spotlight — this time not for Mohali or Punjab, but for India. Soon after being appointed the Indian Test team skipper — the third captain from Punjab, after Lala Amarnath and Bishen Singh Bedi — the swanky 25-year-old has shattered the record books.

Under his leadership, for the first time, an Indian team scored 1,000-plus runs in a single Test; it also won their first ever match at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham in 58 years.

The Punjab lad has become only the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar and ninth overall to score a double century and a century in the same Test. And then there’s the Virat Kohli equaliser. Shubman has become only the second player after Kohli to register three centuries in the first two Test matches as captain.

The boy from Chak Khere Wala is now playing at Lord’s — such a long journey, following a dream just begun.

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