Shuman Gill the youngest ever double centurion in international cricket.©AFP
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes “cricket needs a player” like Shubman Gill, after the young lead-off batsman hit a double century in the first ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday. Gill hit 208 off 149 balls to secure India’s 12-run victory over the Kiwis at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. He became the youngest ever double centurion in international cricket. Butt suggested that if Gill continues to play like this, he could become one of the greats of the game.
“I became a huge fan of Shubman Gill ever since I saw him play in the Test Championship final against New Zealand. His elegance and style in his strokes are truly commendable. The only concern I had was why he is unable to to get a high score. But he played a completely different kind of cricket yesterday. Very few people have that kind of finish in their style at such a young age. I think he’s one of his kind. I’m not saying he has achieved everything in his career, but if he keeps playing like this and keeps working hard, then he will be on the path where he will achieve greatness,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.
Butt also compared Gill to several of the game’s greats, mainly due to the elegance with which he hits in the middle.
“The kind of game he played yesterday he proved that he is not all about power hitting but can also play responsible innings as he kept losing the big players on the other side. Cricket needs players like him as the players are losing these days the kind of touch Sachin Tendulkar, Mark Waugh, Saaed Anwar and Jacques Kallis had. Cricket has lost its beauty and the kind of innings he played is the real beauty of cricket,” he added.
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