Several Indian cricketers, both capped and uncapped, had stellar outings in the recently-concluded 2023 season of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Among all those stars, one man that had a more stellar and memorable IPL season was Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Shubman Gill, who finished the tournament as its highest run-getter (Orange Cap winner) and broke many records this year. Shubman scored 890 runs across 17 IPL matches for Gujarat with an average of 59.33, crossing the century mark three times. He is now just the third batter to hit three or more tons in an IPL season, joining legends Virat Kohli (RCB) and Jos Buttler (RR) in the elite list.
However, ex-Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram, one of the most respected voices in international cricket, named Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Ruturaj Gaikwad instead of Shubman Gill as 'player who has a bright future in Indian cricket'. Continuing his red-hot form from last season, Gaikwad scored a total of 590 runs in 16 IPL matches, including 4 fifties, for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Notably, his composed innings of 26 runs in 16 balls in CSK vs GT IPL 2023 rain-hit summit clash, helped his team clinch record-equaling 5th IPL title.
Akram praised Gaikwad for his ability to perform under pressure and his fitness.
"He came up with an excellent performance under pressure. The plus with him is that he is physically very fit. He is a very good fielder and is young as well. (Ruturaj) Gaikwad has a bright future when it comes to Indian cricket as well as the franchises he plays for," Akram said in an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda.
Gaikwad was supposed to join the Indian squad for upcoming India vs Australia World Test Championship (WTC) Final as a Reserve Player but he won't be able to travel to England reportedly due to his marriage, and Rajasthan Royals' Yashasvi Jaiswal, one of the breakout players in IPL 2023, replaced him.