Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill shared a heartwarming moment with childhood friend and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Abhishek Sharma after their IPL 2024 match was washed out on Thursday. As the rain prevented the players from taking the field, thus allowing SRH to qualify for the playoffs, Gill went to greet Abhishek’s mother, Manju, and sister, Komal, in the stands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Gill kneeled down to touch Abhishek’s mother’s feet before sharing warm smiles and a handshake with Komal.
Gill’s heartwarming gesture for Abhishek’s mother and sister has gone viral on social media.
This
Shubman Abhishek and his family pic.twitter.com/c1YlmJloBY
— Ash (@_ashevor77) May 16, 2024
Gill and Abhishek share a great camaraderie as they grew up together playing age-group cricket in Punjab.
Both made their respective First Class debuts for Punjab during the 2017 season and also went on to play together at the U-19 World Cup in 2018, which India won under the leadership of Prithvi Shaw in New Zealand.
Gill was named ‘Player of the Tournament’ for scoring 372 runs. Since then, Gill and Abhishek have had different career trajectories.
While Gill made his India debut in 2020 before establishing himself as regular member across formats, Abhishek is yet to play for the senior team.
There were talks surrounding Abhishek’s selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup, owing to his brilliant form in IPL 2024, the selectors decided to stick with the players who have already played for India.
In fact, even Gill did not find a place in the 15-man squad as his place at the top was taken by Yashasvi Jaiswal. The GT skipper, however, is one of the four reserve players who will travel to the Americas with the rest of the squad.
Meanwhile, the washout on Thursday saw both teams taking a point each, which pushed SRH to third in the table with 15 points.
GT had been knocked out of the play-off race earlier this week after their game against Kolkata Knight Riders was also abandoned due to rain.
The weather in Hyderabad on Thursday left thousands of fans disappointed at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.
The game was finally called off more than two and a half hours after the scheduled start.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings, who are fourth, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru lead the hunt for the final play-off spot.
(With AFP Inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article
