Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has backed Shubman Gill to get back into the Indian T20I side amid his exceptional form in white-ball cricket. Gill made a massive statement after scoring a historic 223* in the eight-wicket win over West Indies to seal the series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. However, Karthik predicted that it is only a matter of time before Shubman Gill returns to the T20I setup as well.
“223 not out is amazing enough in itself, but to do it in a chase, and with the conviction that he has shown. Right from the get-go, he was very sure, played lovely shots in the powerplay, and showed good intent, but that intent never dropped. It just kept going up. Shubman is someone who is capable of playing both ODIs and Tests. In any other country, he would be playing all three formats. India is so strong that he has not found a place in the T20 setup consistently, and I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t get there very soon,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
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“On and off the field, his behavior is exemplary, for a young kid, he has got a very mature head on his shoulders, he has a good amount of fun off the field, but even when he is doing whatever he is doing in terms of fun or chilling, he is very dedicated to his work in the gym, fitness, running, and hours of practice as well. That, I don’t think he compromises for anything else,” he again added.
Former India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane applauded the Indian batters for the way they went about the run chase in terms of intent and execution. Team India negated the required run rate by scoring 92 runs in the powerplay and dominated the middle overs to reach the target as well.
“After watching them, I felt that they would have chased down even 450-500, we were talking about it. Yes, the wicket was flat, but it was still brilliant to see. The way they batted, I feel for the bowlers. We are happy that the Indian team has won, but I feel bad for the bowlers from both teams. On such pitches, the margin of error, what to bowl, you don’t know. At the end of the day, whatever you do, the way the Indian batters played, really tough for the bowlers,” Ajinkya Rahane said on Cricbuzz.
