Shubman Gill is one of the most prolific names when it comes to budding cricketers. While most of the kids of his age have hardly crossed the college fence, this youngster from Punjab is blazing guns and is taking on the bowlers like a pro. Born on September 8, 1999, the Kolkata Knight Riders batsman had risen to prominence during the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. His innings against Pakistan is during the tournament could be touted as the best of his career. He played a match-winning knock of 102 runs and bagged praises from cricketing stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. On his birthday, we bring you seven unknown facts about the upcoming cricketer. MSK Prasad Selects Manish Pandey Over Shubman Gill for India vs West Indies 2019; Netizens Slam Chief Selector for The Decision (Read Tweets).

  • It was Shubman’s father Lakhwinder Singh who wanted his son to be a cricketer. Senior Singh was also keen on taking up cricket as a profession but somehow he couldn’t.

  • Shubman’s father was convinced about his talent and thus the family moved to Mohali and rented a house near Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.

  • Shubman’s was interested in the sport since the age of three.

  • On his Under-16 state debut for Punjab, he hit an unbeaten double-century in the Vijay Merchant Trophy.

  • In December 2017, Gill was named vice-captain of India's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

  • Shubman was the leading run-scorer for India in the tournament, with 372 runs. He was also named the player of the tournament.

  • In August 2019, Gill became the youngest batsman for an Indian team to score a double century in a first-class match. He was 19 years and 334 days old when he scored 204 runs for India A against West Indies A at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.

As the budding cricketer turns a year older, we wish him a very Happy Birthday. We hope that he scales greater heights and continues to take on the toughest opponents like a boss.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2019 08:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).