Exactly seven years ago, on January 30 2018, Shubman Gill was hitting an unbeaten century for India Under-19 in a massive victory against Pakistan Under-19 in the semifinals of the World Cup. An India vs Pakistan match attracts viewers from all over, but there was something different about one man who tuned in from the West Indies. He had no subcontinental allegiances, he was just a cricket nerd. With one difference: this cricket nerd had already made his first-class debut for Guyana, and January 30, 2018 was the eve of his List A debut. And yet, Sherfane Rutherford was watching Gill bat. It’s what he does.
Rutherford is the cricket nuffie in all of us who dreamed of playing the sport he loved for a living – except, he made that dream come true.
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“I always watch cricket. When I’m home, I have my Willow (subscription). When I’m on tour, I have my firestick. I watch every cricket,” Rutherford told TimesofIndia.com from Dubai, where he’s playing for Desert Vipers in the ILT20. “Yesterday, I was watching BPL, I was watching the Sri Lanka vs Australia Test, I was watching the South Africa T20. I’m always into cricket. All formats. It’s important for me to watch a lot of cricket because I learn a lot from watching. I don’t really watch any other sport. As soon as I wake up, I switch on cricket and I’m watching and analysing.”
All that obsessive watching has meant Rutherford has learned more about his own game. It’s led to a remarkable past 12 months. In ODIs in 2024, Rutherford averaged a stunning 106.25 at a strike-rate of over 120 in nine games. And in T20 matches in 2025, he has an average of 53.66 at a strike rate touching 183 from 10 games. He had always shown spark ever since he burst onto the scene barely out of his teens, but he has now found a zone that is formidable.
“I think the most important thing for me was when I got back into the West Indies team (just over a year ago). When I put on my West Indies colours, it makes me feel like a cricketer again,” Rutherford said. “The key for me was ‘Am I going to play cricket my whole life and be an average person?’ When I asked myself that question, I started to be more consistent in training. My preparation is better now, I have a routine I follow. It was important for me to be more disciplined. I’m not just playing, I’m doing more behind the scenes.”

Rutherford’s outlook and preparation have changed drastically now. “I train everyday. Even on game days, I go to the gym and do a few exercises. I go to the ground before the game starts as well and have a net session. Even with my diet, I try to eat better.”
One of the catalysts for that particular change began in 2022, when he was playing for RCB in the IPL, and observing Virat Kohli.
“One thing I learned from Virat is that even when you’re not performing, you have to work hard. Even though he wasn’t having the best time in international cricket then, he still hit the gym hard, he still prepared right, he went to the nets from start to end… For me earlier, if I was not performing, I was like, ‘I don’t need to train.’ But I realised it’s not going to just happen, it’s about how bad you want it. And even when it’s not happening, you still have to make sure your process is right, your preparation is right. That was a standout for me.”
That was the last year in which Rutherford played a few games in the IPL. Since then he’s been part of teams, without getting game-time. But given the 12 months he’s had, that’s likely to change come IPL 2025, when he links up with Gujarat Titans. Playing alongside Gill. It’s a moment Rutherford has been waiting for, ever since he first saw Gill seven years ago.
“I’m a big fan of Shubman Gill. I saw when he scored a hundred in the U19 World Cup, and I’ve been following him since then,” he said. “I’m excited to play with him. He’s young, he’s exciting, he takes the world by storm. Definitely looking forward to this year. I’ve been at the IPL for five years but I haven’t played much. I think this year is a good opportunity for me. I’m in a better space now, I have learned a few things about my game and added some things to my repertoire. Cannot wait to get going.”
Rutherford is such an in-demand player worldwide because of how he has cracked batting at, and around, No.6 — one of the toughest positions in T20 cricket. It’s a change that began a year and a bit ago, when he became a West Indies regular.
“When I got into the West Indies team, Daren Sammy (head coach) and Floyd Reifer (assistant coach) always backed me, giving me the confidence to just go and perform, to back my game and just be confident,” Rutherford said. “One thing I learned about my game is that I’m a player who can make up (the run-rate). Even when the situation is tough, I learned I can give myself some time. Even if I don’t get the start I want, I can always make up. I started to look at bowlers as well, and choose the bowlers I can take on. Once I’m set, I can take on any bowler.”

A practical example of that happened in West Indies’ league game against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup in June 2024. West Indies were 91 for 7 in 15 overs, and 112 for 9 in 18, but the main bowlers had all finished their quotas. Rutherford went from 31* off 27 to 68* off 39, facing the entirety of the last two overs and taking Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner for 37 runs. West Indies eventually won by just 13 runs.
“It’s a tough position,” Rutherford said of batting in the lower middle order. “Either you come in to take the game on or you come in when it’s a tough situation. The key is to adapt. If it’s in the back end I try to give myself a few balls and then go. If it’s early, I try to bat as properly as I can, hit the gaps, run singles. I think for me the more I run, the more I sweat, the more I start to get the momentum, I start to get the flow even better.”
In his latest stint with the Vipers too, Rutherford has been in fine touch. It’s helped that the team itself has been doing spectacularly well, having already sealed a top-two finish and playoff spot. But, as Rutherford points out, it’s not as if the team environment was a harsh place when they didn’t have the same success in previous years.
“It’s not only about performance, it’s about players’ comfort. Last year we didn’t have a good year, but it didn’t feel like I was under pressure. There was always support from coach (James) Foster. Tom Moody is always on the side to just make sure everyone is comfortable. They are great cricketing heads, so they understand that there are going to be good days and bad days. Most of the successful teams are about players’ being comfortable and the staff supporting players, whether they perform or not. Even if one player is having a bad time, everyone gets around him. That’s where teams bring the best out of themselves.”
Just like the team, Rutherford is certainly getting the best out of himself for now.
(This story is authored by Saurabh Somani who is a Pondicherry-based freelance cricket writer. In his spare time, he watches the game anyway.)