No. 77! Shubman Gill reveals reason behind his jersey number
What's the story
Ahead of the 2025 T20 Asia Cup, Indian batter Shubman Gill has revealed the story behind his jersey number. The right-handed batter returned to India's T20I fold and was named vice-captain for the tournament, starting September 9. Gill said he chose No. 77 because he wanted '7' but it wasn't available when he played at the Under-19 World Cup.
Personal insights
Gill shares his insights
Speaking to Star Sports India, Gill said, "The reason behind getting the number was when I played the Under-19 World Cup, I wanted to take the number 7, but it was not available, so I took two sevens." Gill also shared some personal details, including his nickname 'kaka,' which means baby in Punjabi. He revealed that his cricketing idol was Sachin Tendulkar, while Virat Kohli is his current favorite player.
Game rituals
Gill opens up about his superstition
Gill also spoke about a superstition he follows, saying, "I wear the same set of clothing that I wore in the first match throughout the series." The batter is coming off a successful England tour, where he led India for the first time in Tests. Gill shattered numerous records by scoring 758 runs with four tons. Leading Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, Gill slammed 650 runs from 15 matches at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87.
Practice battles
Gill on facing Jasprit Bumrah in the nets
Gill also opened up about his favorite practice battle - facing premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the nets. "He is always on you and never gives you an edge. He always wants to intimidate you and show you that he is the best, and I love that about him," said Gill. Both Gill and Bumrah will be looking to carry their form into the Asia Cup.
Information
India's squad for Asia Cup
Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, and Rinku Singh. Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.