India opener Shubman Gill was back to his best elements on Saturday in the 4th T20I against the West Indies in Florida as he scored a sensational half-century, overcoming the three single-digit scores from the previous three T20Is.
The two young Indian openers, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, went neck to neck – a competition in the competition – in the tall chase of 179 runs, which was made to look much smaller than the actual target.
Shubman Gill’s T20I series in the West Indies had started with scores of 3,7, and 6. But the 23-year-old turned it around the moment the series entered the Florida leg. On a good pitch for batting, Shubman Gill made hay and shut down the critics and doubters who had gone after him following his three single-digit scores earlier.
Gill and Jaiswal flayed the helpless West Indies bowlers to all parts of the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground to record a stunning century stand that put India on top in this tall chase.
The pair brought up their half-century stand in the 5th over itself. This partnership seemed as the dawn of the new Indian batting tempo in T20I cricket as two young openers – who, if things go as expected, would also open for India in next year’s T20 World Cup in this part of the world.
In the last over of the powerplay, Shubman Gill laid into Odean Smith and blasted the medium-pacer for twin sixes and a stylish four.
Gill showed his power and his gift of timing when he picked up a slower ball from Odean and deposited it back over the bowler’s head for a maximum. Three balls later, the right-hander once again picked up the length and pace of the ball quickly – a short ball in his body – got into the correct position and handsomely pulled over deep square leg for another sixer.
Odean offered a gift on the last ball of the over – short and wide – and the ‘Prince’ pounced on it with a fierce cut shot which went a couple of bouncer over the offside boundary.
Watch: Shubman Gill tears into Odean Smith with 6,6,4
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But India are chasing another goal, this one in Florida.
And Gill is in a killer form š„#WIvIND #INDvWIAdFreeonFanCode pic.twitter.com/7RTb9cUAMw
— FanCode (@FanCode) August 12, 2023
Both the openers brought up their respective half-centuries. At the time of writing, Gill is batting on 64*(40) and Jaiswal on 67*(40).
