Shubman Gill is rarely one for loquacious interviews. His responses to journalists can famously lean toward the terse, often requiring commentators to practically goad him into speaking at length during mid-innings or post-match presentations. When The Hindu connects with him over a video call, he initially seats himself with the quiet demeanor of a shy schoolboy, seemingly reluctant to speak at length. He greets his interviewers with a silent, understated half-smile.
Just an evening prior, however, the young Gujarat Titans opening batter had been captured screaming in pure elation mid-air, having just smashed a breathtaking 49-ball century—his third of that Indian Premier League (IPL) season—against the Mumbai Indians (MI) during Qualifier 2. That scintillating knock eventually culminated in a magnificent 129 runs off just 60 balls, an innings that further cemented his growing reputation as the natural heir apparent to Virat Kohli in the upper echelons of the men’s Indian national cricket team batting line-up.
Yet, despite the mounting praise and the heavy weight of national expectations, Shubman downplays the constant adulations with characteristic calm.
“People will always have something to say about you—good or bad. But I don’t let that affect me,” he says, maintaining a stoic composure.
Despite his natural modesty, he readily acknowledges the profound sense of near-invincibility he experienced while constructing that monumental innings against Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad, a performance that single-handedly propelled his franchise straight into the tournament final.
“It felt like I could not make any mistakes. I was completely in the zone. I felt like a superhero,” he recalls.
As it happens, stepping into the shoes of a superhero was not merely a metaphorical state of mind for the young cricketer. Off the cricket field, Shubman was preparing to experience the literal sensation of superhero status by lending his voice to the highly anticipated animated feature Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the direct sequel to the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The film, slated for a June 2 release, transports audiences into a shared multiverse composed of sweeping alternate dimensions colloquially known as the “Spider-Verse.” Notably, the project introduces a distinct Indian iteration of the iconic web-slinger: Pavitr Prabhakar, the alter-ego of the Indian Spider-Man. For the Hindi-language version of the film, the creators tapped Shubman Gill to bring Pavitr to life, bridging the worlds of high-stakes professional sports and international cinematic animation.
Cricketers, particularly in the sports-obsessed landscape of India, are certainly no strangers to the world of cinema. Endorsement deals, television commercials, and occasional cameo appearances are standard fare for elite athletes. Shubman himself is an avid film buff, counting cinematic heavyweights like The Godfather Trilogy and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman among his personal favorites.
Even so, the vast majority of cricketers restrict their cinematic exposure to commercial advertising and promotional campaigns. Stepping into a professional recording studio to voice-act a primary character in a major feature-length international film is an entirely different ballgame. Shubman admits that the sheer scale of the challenge was precisely what drew him to the opportunity.
“You have to ask the makers why they chose me to voice the character. But they told me I was the first name that came to their mind,” he notes with a hint of quiet amusement. “I was excited when this opportunity came about. I knew it was going to be challenging because I’d never dubbed for a film before. That was all the more reason for me to do it.”
The psychological shift required to embody a fictional persona proved to be a fascinating psychological exercise for the disciplined athlete.
“The idea of being a character—to convince people of something that you are not—was fascinating. I wanted to experience how that feels. And it was interesting, because there were a few emotions that are less a part of my personality. It was difficult for me to show those emotions, especially the dramatic ones,” Shubman explains.
At the same time, he found substantial common ground with the adolescent web-slinger from Mumbattan. “Eighty to eighty-five percent of Pavitr’s emotions, I could resonate with. He’s fun, always up to something, and full of heart,” he observes.
There was also a deeply personal, nostalgic motivation behind his decision to leap into the voice-acting project: Spider-Man has long held the title of his favorite childhood superhero.
“I like many superheroes. But Spider-Man is close to my heart because it’s one of the first few movies I watched. I watched it on TV with my family when I was about six years old. So, I’ve been a big fan of Spider-Man ever since,” he shares.
Asked to clarify which specific cinematic iteration captured his imagination during those formative childhood years, the conversation turns briefly to Hollywood film history.
When the interviewer confirms whether it was the classic Tobey Maguire adaptation directed by Sam Raimi, Shubman breaks into an approving smile.
“Yes. For me, Tobey Maguire is the OG Spider-Man!”
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