‘Shubh Aarambh’: From Fazilka to Leeds, journey of passionate dad and willing son

There are Dads. And then there are obsessed Dads.

When Lakhwinder Singh Gill, an affluent farmer from Chakh Khere Wala village, which is just 10km from the Indo-Pakistan border, decided to move to Mohali to give wings to his younger child Shubman’s cricketing talent, he didn’t have a Plan B in mind.

The boy was not even nine years old but the only ‘toy’ he ever played with was a cricket bat gifted by his grandfather Sardar Didar Singh.

Shubman Gill’s story is as much about adhering to the 3 ‘Ds’ (Discipline, Dedication and Determination) as it is about a pushy father, who was ready to move mountains to see his son wear that India cap.

And on June 20, when Shubman walks out wearing that navy blue India blazer over his whites alongside English counterpart Ben Stokes at the iconic Headingley, Lakhwinder can surely raise a toast. It would be for his heady 16-year journey to see that “another boy at another coaching camp” is polished to perfection to become India’s next Test captain.

Not all sporting stories need to be sob stories. They could also be stories of resilience, obsession for excellence and the sacrifices made as a family for years.

Moving out of one’s comfort zones, missing social gatherings for years, not having an outing as a family. From a distance, all of it might not look that difficult but monotony in pursuit of excellence certainly has a different ring to it.

“We had not attended any wedding festivities for years so that our son’s focus on cricket doesn’t waiver,” Lakhwinder had told PTI when Shubman first came into national prominence with an Under-19 World Cup hundred against Pakistan in 2018.

The Gill family had the resources from the beginning.

Grandfather Didar could afford a makeshift pitch on his sprawling courtyard at his Fazilka home and the father could risk shifting a family of four to Chandigarh — far removed from a very comfortable life they had in the village.

Gill’s story is a classic case of being at the right place at the right time and also doing his bit when it is absolutely necessary.

Otherwise how in the world would former India seamer Karsan Ghavri, who was in Mohali in 2011 for a pace bowler’s camp organised by PCA under the aegis of BCCI, find out that there were no batters who could face bowlers at the said camp.

‘Kadoo bhai’ (as he is known in Indian cricket circuit) took a walk with one of his assistants in close vicinity of the PCA Stadium and stopped by to watch an Under-14 game where a young boy’s technique caught his attention.

He wanted to know more about the boy and approached the only other man around, who stood under the shade of a tree, watching the proceedings intently.

“Who’s that boy? Any idea?” he asked the man and as fate had it, it was Lakhwinder watching his son bat.

“That’s my son Shubman and he is 12 years old,” the father had answered.

The man with 100-plus Test wickets didn’t waste one moment before telling Gill to report for pace bowler’s camp the very next day.

The result was a 12-year-old standing up to the likes of erstwhile India U-19 seamers like Sandeep Sharma with minimum fuss.

Fast-tracking Gill into the Punjab U-14 side was then a matter of time after Kadoo bhai’s strong recommendation.

Serendipity happened not once but twice for Gill.

During India A’s 2018 tour of England, MSK Prasad’s selection committee was picking the next lot for the List A games.

“Anmolpreet Singh had a great season and one of the five selectors was bent on putting him on that flight. Anmol had runs in domestic cricket and his choice would have been justified. Now Rahul (Dravid), who was the NCA head and India A coach, had a request for the selectors,” a former national selector recalled.

“Rahul, everyone knows, is polite to a fault. He had just one request for the panel. He said, ‘please select this boy Shubman and accommodate Anmol for another A tour’.

“We couldn’t turn down his request and Shubman within months of U-19 World Cup triumph was in India A team,” he said.

Anmolpreet had runs but Shubman had something more, technique and temperament. And at the elite level, these two count as much as runs.

Dravid had seen something special and didn’t want the boy to hang around in domestic cricket for too long. As Ian Chappell once famously said “too many years in domestic cricket will allow chinks to creep into the system”.

He played some significant knocks for India A in England during the one-day tri-series but none more important than a double hundred against West Indies A in a ‘Test’ match a year after. There was no looking back after that.

While his Test match batting is still a work in progress but with wrists which are supple, physique which is sinewy and a languid stance to boot, he has had the game for ODIs.

The snap pull or a short arm jab over mid-wicket or a cover-drive played with minimal back-lift, Shubman in Blues has been Virat Kohli’s extension.

In home Tests, he has had his moments but England will be a test of his batsmanship. As far as leadership is concerned, the current IPL is an indicator that he is growing in the role.

And perhaps, if Gill is the captain, Gautam Gambhir is the right man to be there during his inception days.

The ride won’t be a smooth one and there are no guarantees of success. But you can’t hold it against Shubman for not giving his 200 percent. Indian cricket is hoping for ‘Shubh’ Arambh.

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