'I've bowled him a lot...'- UAE bowler recalled early days of Shubman Gill ahead of IND vs UAE Asia Cup 2025 match

Before squaring off with India on September 10 for the Asia Cup 2025 clash, UAE spinner Simranjeet Singh recalled the days when he used to bowl to Shubman Gill. During an interview, Singh shared some of his memories with the batter. 

Asia Cup 2025 is set to start today (September 9, 2025) evening with an Afghanistan vs. Hong Kong match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Before the inaugural game, all eyes were on the camps under preparation. During their practice session, Simranjeet Singh claimed that when Gill was 11 or 12, he used to go to the academy for practice. Singh was also there at that time and spent some time with Gill in the nets at the academy. 

As it is known, Shubman and Simranjeet were both students of the PCA academy. Later, Singh switched to the United Arab Emirates, and Gill is currently the India Test team captain and the vice-captain of the T20I setup. He is hopeful that the star India batter will recognize him. 

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During the interview the UAE spinner said, "I think Shubman Gill must have been around 11 or 12 years old at that time. He used to come to the nets regularly for practice. I would bowl later in the session... I've bowled him a lot."

UAE prepared for the clash 

On pen and paper, India is far ahead of the UAE cricket team in terms of both strength and experience. Still, Singh is optimistic about making a positive impact against one of the dominating forces of modern-day cricket. 

"Our preparations are going on well. As everyone knows, we are playing against India. This is a good opportunity for our boys. We have played a series against two test nations. We have learned a lot from there. We will not repeat our mistakes in the upcoming Asia Cup Tournament," he said.