The young Indian opener, Shubman Gill notched up his second successive ODI hundred with a dominating performance against New Zealand in the first of a 3-match series in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18. On a pitch where the big guns Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggled, Gill became the youngest batter to hit a double hundred in ODIs and he is also the 5th Indian after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, and Ishan Kishan to surpass the landmark.
Virat Kohl was dismissed by the left-arm spin of Mitchell Santner. Ishan Kishan, who did not find a spot in the playing XI for the 3-match series against Sri Lanka, managed only 5 off 14 balls. Suryakumar Yadav played a nice cameo but the real onus was always going to be on Shubman Gill who had settled in brilliantly.
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Shubman Gill found an able ally in Hardik Pandya before a solid partnership was broken under controversial circumstances. India lost a couple of quick wickets thereafter but there was no stopping Shubman, who has had to wait patiently for more regular opportunities to come his way. He batted like a seasoned pro in only his 19th ODI innings. During the course of his masterclass, he broke the Indian record for the fastest 1000 ODI runs jointly held by Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan for years.
Incidentally, Shubman Gill had made his ODI debut against New Zealand. This is a remarkable thing for Indian cricket in an ODI World Cup year. It was a gutsy move to keep Ishan Kishan out despite his record-breaking 210 in Bangladesh.
WATCH – Ishan Kishan Talks About His Comparison With Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill repaid the faith of the team management with masterly innings against New Zealand and there is no doubt now that Shubman Gill is the most dynamic young ODI batter since the emergence of Virat Kohli. Former cricketers heaped praise on Shubman Gill, saying that the young batter is making a name for himself in the 50-over format of the game.
2⃣0⃣0⃣ !🔥 🎇
𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑮𝒊𝒍𝒍!🙌🙌
One mighty knock! 💪 💪
The moment, the reactions & the celebrations 🎉 👏
Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/IQq47h2W47 #TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/sKAeLqd8QV
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 18, 2023
Back to back 💯 for Shubhman Gill. He is sealing the opening slot with his consistency #INDvsNZ
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 18, 2023
Shubman Gill is a PRECIOUS talent 💯 👏
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 18, 2023
Well played Gill 👏🏻 you’re a top batter #DoddaMathu #CricketTwitter #INDvNZ
— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) January 18, 2023
No looking back now, unless it's a fine leg glance. Batted @ShubmanGill 👏🏽 #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/ENQDQEULm0
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) January 18, 2023
And he does it. Double hundred for Shubman Gill. Gets into that elite list now!
— Abhinav Mukund (@mukundabhinav) January 18, 2023
I want to see more ODIs just to see Shubman Gill dominate this format. He's born for this. What a player! #INDvNZ
— Soorya Sesha (@sooryasesha7) January 18, 2023
