“At least your debut was better than mine” - When Shubman Gill revealed being motivated by MS Dhoni in 2019

Team India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill endured a poor international debut in the ODI series in New Zealand in 2019. Batting at No.3, the right-hander scored only nine off 21 deliveries as India were bowled out for an embarrassing 92 inside 31 overs.

Yet, three years later, Gill recalled legendary skipper MS Dhoni lightening his mood with a mention about the latter's forgettable debut. On this very date in 2004, Dhoni debuted for India in an ODI against Bangladesh that the Men in Blue won by 11 runs.

However, the wicketkeeper batter was run out for a golden duck with more than eight overs remaining.

In an interview in 2022, Gill opened up on Dhoni's words to him after a disastrous debut, saying (via Hindustan Times):

"The day I made my debut, I was dismissed when India were around 15. I was sitting outside and was sad, having scored just 9 runs in my debut. So Mahi bhai came and saw that I was very sad. I was then around 18-19 years old. He told me at least your debut was better than mine. I realised he was dismissed for a golden duck in his debut. He did not face a single ball and was run out. Then he started laughing and joking, and I was touched by that gesture."

Despite the horrific debut, Dhoni went on to become India's most accomplished captain and wicketkeeper. The now-44-year-old finished with over 17,000 runs in international cricket with 16 centuries in 538 matches.

He also led India to three ICC titles, while winning 178 out of his 332 games as Indian captain.

Shubman Gill has been a mixed bag since his forgettable Indian debut

Following a forgettable ODI debut, Shubman Gill has thrived in the format as very few have historically. The 26-year-old has amassed 2,818 runs in 58 ODIs at an average of 56.36 and a strike rate of 99.22, including eight centuries.

His incredible ODI performances earned him Indian captaincy in the format a few months back. Meanwhile, Gill's Test career has been a tale of many contrasting parts.

The right-hander was a mixed bag with several highs and as many lows in the red-ball format until the resurgence this year. Shubman Gill scored almost 1,000 runs in Tests in 2025 at an average of over 70 with five centuries in nine games, while leading the side since the England tour in June.

Coming to T20Is, Shubman Gill has been a massive disappointment, struggling to find his footing for extended periods. He has scored only 869 runs in 36 T20Is at an average of 28.03 and a strike rate of 138.59.

His sub-par numbers meant he was recently excluded from the Indian 2026 T20 World Cup squad, months after being appointed the vice-captain.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran