A photograph of India captain Shubman Gill standing alongside Brazil great Ronaldinho has been doing the rounds online, bringing together fans of two very different sports. The image was posted by a Gill fan page on social media. Ronaldinho, who won the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Brazil, has been turning up at a number of games during the football tournament, especially those involving the national side.
A Strong Run Behind the Smile
The picture arrives on the back of an excellent ODI series for the 26-year-old. Gill led India to a 3-0 win over Afghanistan, who were captained by Hashmatullah Shahidi. He scored 238 runs from just two innings, which gave him an average of 238 and a strike rate of 135.23.
Along the way he went past 3,000 runs in ODIs and 7,000 in international cricket overall. He was named Player of the Series, and the result was his first ODI series win as captain, following earlier series losses against Australia and New Zealand.
Before the one-day games, Gill also scored a hundred in the one-off Test against Afghanistan, in which India won by an innings and 300 runs.
Rested, Then Back for England
Gill is currently resting. He was left out of India’s T20I series against Ireland and will also miss the five-match T20I series against England.
He is due to return next month to captain India in the three-match ODI series against England. Those games are scheduled for Birmingham, Cardiff and London on July 14, 16 and 19. Both teams are expected to treat the series as important preparation for next year’s ODI World Cup.
