Shubman Gill’s prowess as an opener was never in question, but his first T20I ton has got people talking about him as the next Virat Kohli, an all-format machine for India. Gill scored 126 in just 63 balls in a crushing 168-run series-clinching victory over an unlucky New Zealander on Wednesday. It was only his sixth T20 appearance. Despite being gifted with all shots, the 23-year-old has yet to secure a place for India in all formats, playing no part in last year’s T20 World Cup.
Gill hit a match-winning Test barrel in Bangladesh in December and his first ODI double hundred in January.
That knock earned him the nickname “Smoothman Gill” – because of his free-flowing shots – from big hitter Sunil Gavaskar.
T20 skipper Hardik Pandya praised Gill after the pair made 103 runs for the fourth wicket in India’s 234-4, paving the way for the biggest T20 win between two Test teams.
“He will definitely reach greater heights in his career, not because of what he has done today, but because of his work ethic and the fairness towards his game,” Pandya told the Indian Cricket Board’s website.
Gill’s unbeaten knock, peppered with 12 fours and seven sixes, was the highest T20 score by an Indian and failed to take out Kohli’s 122.
Gill also became only the fifth Indian batsman – including Kohli and current captain Rohit Sharma – to record centuries in all three formats.
‘Grow up’
“He’s grown up,” former India opener Wasim Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo.
“There was no denying that he had conquered Test (cricket) a bit, One-Day for sure. Today’s knock proves what a fantastic player India has found.”
Jaffer added, “He’s a three-size player and after Virat Kohli, he’s the next big hitter who’s going to be fine.”
Gill had also risked New Zealand’s bowling in the preceding ODIs, scoring 360 runs – the most in a three-match bilateral series, alongside Pakistani skipper Babar Azam.
“When you represent your country, I don’t think there is any kind of fatigue,” said Gill after his T20 masterclass at the world’s largest cricket ground in Ahmedabad.
“I’ve always wanted to play for India and being lucky enough to play all three formats is a blessing.”
Later speaking to Pandya, the young batsman, who hails from a farming family in the northern state of Punjab, said that he owed much of his success to his father.
“I think the way I practice and the way my dad made me practice… 90 percent of the credit should go to him because it was his vision,” said Gill.
The batsman has made 13 Tests, 21 ODIs and six T20 appearances for India since his first 50-over match against New Zealand in Hamilton in January 2019.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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