Shubman Gill registered his second ODI century, on Sunday, as he slammed 116 runs in 97 balls against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram.
Gill, who scored 70 off 60 in the first ODI amid the pressure of justifying his place after being picked over double centurion Ishan Kishan, was once again at his fluent best in his terrific and laid down two big partnerships: 95 (92) with opener Rohit Sharma followed by 131 (110) with number 3 Virat Kohli.
The 23-year-old seems to have cemented his place, for now, as Rohit’s opening partner in the ODIs, having already pushed out senior opener Shikhar Dhawan with impressive performances last year.
Since July 2022, when he was recalled to the ODI side, Gill is the leading ODI scorer in the world among openers, averaging 68 with a strike rate of 103 in 13 outings, with the likes of Dhawan, Allen, and Warner falling behind him in terms of both average and strike rate. Shubman Gill certainly would have a bumper future if he continues on his consistency and discipline.
The Sydney-based journalist Chloe-Amanda Bailey, who has a massive following on social handles and is well-renowned among cricket fans, in particular the Indian cricket fans, hailed, adding that she is excited to see the bright future ahead of the young Indian opener.
“Shubman Gill is an absolute gun! Huge future ahead. Great to watch it unfold,” Chloe-Amanda Bailey tweeted.
Here is Bailey’s tweet on Shubman Gill that has gone viral:
Shubman Gill is an absolute gun! Huge future ahead. Great to watch it unfold. #INDvSL
— Chloe-Amanda Bailey (@ChloeAmandaB) January 15, 2023
Gill’s century, followed by that of Virat Kohli, who smashed 166* off 110 balls, stroking 13 fours and 8 sixes, helped India piled up 390 on the board. Sri Lanka, in reply, surrendered meekly, and were bowled out for 73. India’s victory margin of 317 runs is the biggest in ODIs history in terms of runs.
After his century, Gill said: “Felt very good. Always good when you convert a start to a big one. We were not really looking at any target, just tried to see how the wicket plays. The odd ball was keeping low but apart from that, it is a very nice wicket. When you are batting with someone like Rohit Bhai or Virat Bhai, you don’t have to do much. We were just talking about whom to target and when to target. We didn’t score much in the first few overs, so then we discussed on scoring faster. He (Kohli) is amazing, I remember watching him as a kid and it feels great to share the crease with him today.”
