The young Indian batter, Shubman Gill acknowledged that he never thought of surpassing the 200-run mark till the 47th over after his whirlwind knock against New Zealand in the first ODI of the three-match series. Gill became the youngest double centurion in the history of ODs when he smashed the Kiwi bowlers all over the park with his knock of 208 runs off 149 deliveries. The 23-year-old hit 19 boundaries and nine sixes.
India posted a huge total of 349 runs in their 50 overs but was made to sweat by some hard-hitting by Michael Bracewell, who played a crucial knock of 140 runs to bring the game close. In the end, the hosts managed to pull off a 12-run win. Gill was given the Man Of The Match and said, as per the quotes in Cricbuzz, that he was eager to go out and do what he wanted to do.
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Shubman Gill said that he wanted to unleash when he saw wickets falling at the other end. The 23-year-old said that he wasn’t really thinking of 200 till the 47th over when he was able to hit a few sixes. Gill said that he has a sense of satisfaction and that the double ton had sunk in very well.
HE DOES IT! 💯💯@ShubmanGill enters an elite list & is the 5th Indian to hit an ODI DOUBLE HUNDRED! Gee, what a player! 😍🤯
Tune-in to the 1st Mastercard #INDvNZ ODI, LIVE on Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar.#BelieveInBlue pic.twitter.com/IAR5ITLqs5
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 18, 2023
Shubman Gill elaborated, “I was waiting eagerly to go out and do what I want to do. With wickets falling, at times I wanted to unleash and I’m glad I could do it in the end. Sometimes, when the bowler is on top, you need to make them feel pressure. Need to avoid dot balls, show some intent, and hit hard into the gaps. Which is what I was doing. I wasn’t really thinking of 200, but once I hit sixes in the 47th over, I did feel that I could.”
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He further explained, “Before that, I was playing what was coming to me. He (Kishan) is one of my best mates. I was there when he scored his ODI double hundred and it was special. It feels nice when you are wanting to do something and it is coming off on a regular basis. Definitely a sense of satisfaction. It (double ton) has sunk in pretty well. The game went much closer than I expected.”
