Comparing Shubman Gill to Virat Kohli will only put the former under unnecessary pressure: Jitesh Sharma [Exclusive]

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma doesn’t want fans and experts to compare Shubman Gill to Virat Kohli, as he believes it can put the former under undue pressure.

India is lucky to have had batting icons helping the team seamlessly transition from one era to another. After the legendary Sunil Gavaskar mesmerised the cricket fraternity with his technical expertise, India produced the phenomenal Sachin Tendulkar, who remained the pinnacle of batting in the sport for over two decades. During the twilight phase of Tendulkar’s career, Virat Kohli became a superstar destined to take Indian cricket to great heights.

Now, as Kohli is nearing his last dance, Shubman Gill is being backed to become the linchpin of India’s batting for years to come. However, the youngster has not been able to cement his place in India’s T20I setup despite performing remarkably in ODIs and Tests.

During an exclusive interview with CricTracker, Jitesh was asked if Shubman could break Kohli’s records across formats. The Baroda cricketer said that he will be happier if the 26-year-old keeps performing consistently, and while doing so, if he surpasses Kohli’s numbers, then he wouldn’t mind.

“I don’t know why people compare players. I’m not a fan of comparisons. I want him to score centuries and perform well in every match, and I don’t mind him breaking anyone’s records. Comparing him only puts extra pressure on Gill, and that’s unnecessary,” the 32-year-old said.

Kohli is on a race of his own as he is approaching Tendulkar’s world record of most centuries in international cricket. The former Indian cricketer finished his illustrious career with 100 international centuries. Kohli has already scored 84, and because he wants to play for India at least till the 2027 ODI World Cup, there is still time for him to surpass Tendulkar’s tally.

“I pray for him to score 100 international centuries. Not just 100, but 120,” Jitesh said when asked if Kohli can score 100 international tons.