'Not Many Have Shown Me...': Manchester United Legend Applauds Shubman Gill's Humility In Heartfelt Note

Indian ODI captain and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand recently met in England and was spotted watching the Red Devils' match against Tottenham on Saturday, February 7, 2026. Additionally, the Manchester United legend had posted a picture of them together on X, revealing that the India batter was ringside for Manchester United's victory against the Spurs in the Premier League.

Following the match, on February 9, 2026, Rio Ferdinand took to Instagram and penned a heartfelt post for Shubman Gill, praising the Indian batter's curious mind and shared what impressed him the most about Gill.

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Rio Ferdinand Praises ODI Captain Shubman Gill

In his Instagram post, Ferdinand shared that he had not met many young minds who have shown such curiosity as Shubman Gill. Additionally, Rio Ferdinand shared that the batter seemed keen on getting to know the United legend's football journey and was trying to draw parallels with his own sport.

Rio Ferdinand shared, "Shubman Gill – I meet a lot of sports stars on my travels, but not many have shown me their curious mind so quickly, like Shubman. After sitting down and ordering our soft drinks, I sensed curiosity through detailed questions about my football journey as a player, about leadership & relationships….all stemming from a huge desire (I felt) for Shubman to draw parallels where he could to apply to his world of cricket."

He further added, "Now, who knows what he takes from what I said or if anything I said resonates, but my point is for someone so young to quickly set about probing, questioning, exploring different things with the only aim being to better himself."

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Shubman Gill Fell Short Of Runs In T20I Format

Despite being one of the leading batters across all formats since he was appointed as captain in May 2025, Gill struggled to find a steady form in the T20I format. This resulted in him missing out on the selection for India's T20 World Cup squad, with the selectors reasoning that the player is a bit short of runs.