This is an archive article published on January 18, 2023
Premium

What Auckland was to Tendulkar, Hobart was to Kohli, Hyderabad could be to Shubman Gill

Punctuated with a dazzling range of strokes, Gill becomes the youngest to register a double hundred in ODIs

India's Shubman Gill celebrates his double century during the first ODI cricket match between India and New Zealand, at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad. (PTI)India's Shubman Gill celebrates his double century during the first ODI cricket match between India and New Zealand, at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad. (PTI)
Written by: Venkata Krishna B
6 min readHyderabadJan 19, 2023 07:52 AM IST First published on: Jan 18, 2023 at 08:16 PM IST

There were 31,187 people at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. And as Shubman Gill took a breath and tapped his bat before lifting his head once again, waiting for Lockie Ferguson to steam in, the noise was deafening. Starting the 48th over unbeaten on 182, a maiden ODI double century was very much in Gill’s reach. And he did it in some style, striking the New Zealand enforcer for a hat-trick of sixes.

With India already seven wickets down and with only 12 deliveries to go, the only question was will he face enough deliveries to get there. Such situations, especially when you are running out of partners, can make batters desperate. But these things don’t seem to test the nerves of India’s next generation of batters. Certainly not Gill, the anointed heir apparent of India’s batting lineage.

Amidst all the noise and frenzy around him, Gill calmly sat back in the crease and effortlessly lofted Ferguson straight over the long-off fielder for his maiden double century. And India, riding his 208, finished at 349/8 in 50 overs, their third 340-plus total in the last four ODIs, a pattern that screams of their newfound approach.

Read | Shubman Gill’s father wasn’t happy with the century against Sri Lanka: ‘When will he learn…’

Gill difference

Advertisement

This game could have easily been different if not for Gill. While a 200-plus score in ODIs is no doubt an incredible number, this was an innings worth more than the runs scored. Certain knocks tend to stand out from the situation of the game and the context. If Hobart was the one for Virat Kohli, then this is the one for Gill – one where he came of age, showing the first definite sign that he is there for the long haul. Even quality wise, there was plenty to take home about. A batsman scoring 208 and a team ending up with nearly 350 would point out to a flat batting pitch. But this was anything but a shirtfront, as the two-paced nature kept testing the batsmen. To put things in perspective, the next highest score in the innings was Rohit Sharma’s 34. Suryakumar Yadav was the only other batsman to touch 30.

On a wicket where more established names found it difficult to get their rhythm flowing, Gill was all pristine stroke-play. Fiercely cutting, leaning into cover-drives, lofting pull shots in front of the square, casually flicking, using the feet/slog sweeping spinners, golf-bat like swing to launch fast bowlers in the arc over mid-off and mid-on, Gill showed all the shots in his text book. More importantly, he played all those while retaining his shape and seldom sought an ugly heave. He was fortunate to get a reprieve on 45 as Tom Latham spilled a catch off Michael Bracewell’s off-spin. But few would disagree that there is an aesthetic touch to his batting, one that made Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli stand out from the rest. Then there is the assuredness he gives with his batting that even in the age of T20s, and despite growing up in an era where the format has given space to more flamboyant, exhilarating unorthodox shots, he has shown that there is still space for the old-school textbook.

Vindication of faith

Now let’s talk about the context. Just over a week ago, as Gill walked into bat alongside Rohit in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Guwahati, questions were raised about his spot. There were reasons too. Less than a month ago, Ishan Kishan had scored a double century in the last ODI that India had played. He is totally the opposite of Gill: left vs right; has a higher strike-rate and also provides a left-right option at the top. And being a wicketkeeper, his presence would also open one more spot in the middle-order, where Suryakumar could fit in.

Instead, India chose to go with Gill. Within the team management, there are plenty of admirers for the opener, especially for his ability to construct an innings and still score at over run a ball. Such qualities are getting rare to find, especially in day and age, where batters are told not to put too much price on their wicket in limited-overs. But given their handicap in finding the right balance, India are in a position where they precisely need players like Gill, who have more substance and calibre. Compared to Ishan, Gill is equally good against pace and spin, besides being comfortable on the front foot as well as back. He might not set the stage on fire from the word go, but can burn down the opposition when he is set.

Top Sports News Now
Click here for more

Precisely for these reasons, this Gill knock is special for it not only validates the faith shown by the team management and the selectors, but also puts him on the pedestal to build from here. This home season, Gill has definitely set a place for himself, and one where he rightfully belongs. Around 14 years ago, in 2009, at the same venue Sachin Tendulkar had fallen 25 runs short of scoring his first ODI double century leaving the stadium in stunned silence. And in 2023, as Gill let out a huge roar in a rare show of emotion, the 31, 187 joined him. From Tendulkar to Kohli to Gill, the baton continues to be passed.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
newsguard-logo
Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments