'He is the guy': Kevin Pietersen Picks Shubman Gill to be Standout Performer in 2024 T20 World Cup

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has backed young India batting star Shubman Gill to be the standout player in the T20 World Cup this year. India have not won any ICC title in the past decade and they will be desperate to end the drought in the showpiece event in June which will held in the West Indies and USA this year. The Men in Blue didn’t live up to the expectations in the last two editions of the T20 WC as they suffered a group stage exit in 2021, while England knocked them out in the semifinal of the 2022 mega event.

The last time when the T20 WC was hosted in the West Indies, England became the champions after beating Australia in the 2010 final. Meanwhile, Pietersen was named Player of the Tournament for smashing 248 runs, he also played a crucial 47-run knock in the summit clash.

“Winning the World Cup in the Caribbean against Australia in the middle of the Barbados crowd was very special,” Pieterson told The Times of India.

Pietersen, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in the IPL, said that the upcoming season of the cash-rich league will be crucial for the players to get their rhythm before the T20 World Cup.

“It’s all about people who will perform at the right time. And that’s going to happen in April and May during the IPL. We’ll see who’s performing the best. The players are good enough to replicate in the World Cup. The conditions are pretty similar to what is here in India actually. There will be very low bounce wickets. It takes some spin, but they are also beautiful wickets,” Pietersen noted.

Meanwhile, the former England star, picked Shubman Gill to be the standout performer in the marquee ICC event.

“It is Shubman Gill. He is the guy,” asserted Pietersen.

Meanwhile, the return of Rohit Sharma to the T20I set-up will make it difficult for Shubman to get a place in the XI in the shortest format. However, considering his glorious form in IPL last year, if he manages to replicate the same in 2024 edition, then it is going to be a good headache for the team management.