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'Shubman never liked any other toy. He always loved playing with the bat and ball. He used to play with cricket bat and ball even during going to bed.'
India Under-19 player Shubman Gill's father is elated at the performance of his son in the ongoing World Cup in New Zealand, saying the youngster has always been a dedicated cricketer.
"Shubman has always been dedicated to the game of cricket. I am very happy and proud of my son's performance in the ongoing World Cup," Gill's father Lakhwinder Singh said on Tuesday.
"We are elated with his century in today's match against Pakistan and defeating the Pakistani team," he added.
Asked when Gill showed his inclination towards cricket, Lakhwinder said he had always been passionate about the game since the age of three.
"Shubman never liked any other toy. He always loved playing with the bat and ball. He used to play with cricket bat and ball even during going to bed," he said.
Gill's family belongs to a village in Fazilka in Punjab.
"We fully supported him for achieving his dream to become a cricketer. We dedicated 15 years on him to enable him become a world class cricketer. We even left our work and skipped several family functions including marriage ceremonies of our relatives so we could dedicate as much time as we could on him," said Lakhwinder, who is based in Mohali.
The 18-year-old Gill scored 102 not out to help India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by 203 runs in the U-19 World Cup semi-final match in Christchurch.
Gill, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 1.8 crore in the Indian Premier League players' auction, is India's leading scorer in the World Cup with 341 runs.