The 18-year-old Indian cricketer Shubman Gill is gradually establishing himself as one of the main future Team India prospects. The Indian U19 team is currently playing in the ICC U19 World Cup, and it is because of the excellent unbeaten 102-run knock by Gill in the semi-final against Pakistan (which saw India beat Pakistan by 203 runs), that India has now reached the final of the tournament which will be played against Australia.

We take a look at 10 interesting facts about Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) star Shubman Gill that you probably didn’t know:

1. Shubman Gill used to practice on his father’s farm

Gill’s family owned agricultural lands in Fazilka, Punjab. His father would ask the hired helpers on the farm to throw balls at Gill to help him practice batting. It was then that Shubman Gill’s father realized about the youngster’s cricketing talent, which resulted in the whole Gill family to shift to Mohali, where they rented a house near the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.

2. He is the vice-captain of India U19 cricket team

Apart from being a hard-hitter, Shubman Gill is also the vice-captain of the Indian U19 cricket team. In December 2017, he was named vice captain of India’s squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

3. Named Player of the Match for his 102-run knock against Pakistan

Shubman Gill was awarded the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten knock of 102 runs against Pakistan in the 2018 ICC U19 World Cup semi-final. After receiving the Player of the Match for his semi-final winning performance, Gill became a three-time winner of the prestigious award in the tournament.

4. He is India’s first century scorer in the ongoing U19 World Cup

The 18-year-old is India’s first century scorer in the ongoing 2018 U-19 Cricket World Cup. Interestingly, while no other batsman from the India U19 cricket team has scored a century in the tournament, Shubman Gill has done it thrice.

5. Hit the third-fastest century by an Indian in U19 World Cup

Shubman Gill hit the third-fastest century by an Indian in U-19 World Cup on Tuesday against Pakistan, when he scored 102 runs in 94 balls. Team India captain Virat Kohli has scored the fastest century in 73 balls against West Indies, while Rishabh Pant’s 82-ball hundred against Namibia is the second-highest.

6. Gill has tallied 341 runs in 5 matches of U19 World Cup

Shubman Gill, who is a right-handed batsman, has totalled 341 runs in five matches at an average of 170.50, and a strike rate of 113.28, in the ongoing 2018 U-19 Cricket World Cup.

7. He will be first batsman to end Youth ODI career with 100-plus batting average

Shubman Gill has registered a total of 1,188 runs in 14 innings in the Youth ODIs, and so, has an average of 111.80. He is the only player ever to achieve a 100-plus batting average in Youth ODIs, but what is more fascinating is that even if Shubman Gills gets out on 0 in the final clash against Australia on Saturday, he will retain his highly illustrious achievement.

8. Shared the stage with Virat Kohli while receiving BCCI’s award for Best Cricketer

Shubman Gill has also shared the stage with India skipper Virat Kohli while receiving BCCI’s award for the Best Junior Cricketer, which he has won twice. Gill was awarded the junior prize, while Virat Kohli was named the Best Cricketer in the same event by BCCI.

9. Bought by Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) in IPL 2018 for a price nine times higher his base price

In the player auction for the 11th season of the Indian Premier League, Shubman Gill was available in the price slot of INR 20 lakh. However, the 18-year-old was so valued, that he was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) for INR 1.8 crore, and will feature in the upcoming world-class Indian T20 league.

10. Shubman Gill’s favourite shot is the cover drive.

READ: BCCI acting president CK Khanna wants India to win U19 World Cup.