In the opening match of the ODI series against Australia in Mohali, Shubman Gill had come tantalizingly close to a century, falling just 26 runs short. His disappointment was palpable as he left the field, his head down, for not finishing the innings himself in the chase of 276. However, in the subsequent match at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, on a pitch that was a haven for batsmen with its longest boundary measuring just 69 meters, Gill left no room for disappointment as he notched up his sixth ODI century, breaking several records along the way.

But not everyone was entirely satisfied with Gill’s performance, notably India’s cricketing legend, Virender Sehwag. Despite the remarkable century, Sehwag expressed a desire to see an even bigger score from the in-form Shubman Gill. In 2023, Gill has been a standout performer, particularly in ODIs, amassing over 1200 runs in the year, the highest by any batter in the format, including five centuries.

Impressively, four of those centuries were scored in India, making Shubman Gill the joint record-holder for the most centuries by a batter at home in a single calendar year, sharing this honor with Ricky Ponting and Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas. This feat also brought him closer to challenging Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most runs in a calendar year in the 50-over format, with many expecting the 24-year-old to break this record during the upcoming World Cup.

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Notwithstanding Gill’s record-breaking performance in Indore, Sehwag, in a conversation with Cricbuzz, expressed his frustration at Shubman Gill not capitalizing fully on his rich vein of form and settling for a smaller score. He emphasized that scoring big runs is easier when a player is young and in good form, as the body recovers quickly, allowing the player to excel in both batting and fielding. In contrast, as a player ages, this becomes increasingly challenging.

“He missed out last time but ensured that he got his hundred today, but I would still say that the form he is in he should have scored 160 or 180. He is now just 25 years old. Had he scored 200 today, then he wouldn’t have become tired and could have fielded as well. At 30, he would have found it difficult because he wouldn’t have recovered. So it is better to score big runs now,” Virender Sehwag opined.

Sehwag also pointed out that when Shubman Gill was dismissed, there were still many overs left in the innings. Had he stayed at the crease a bit longer, he could have potentially reached his second double century. In this context, Sehwag subtly mentioned his own feat in 2011 at the Holkar Stadium when he scored 219. He also highlighted Rohit Sharma’s record of three double centuries and emphasized that the Indore pitch offers batters the opportunity to achieve such monumental scores, suggesting that Gill might have missed a golden opportunity.

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“When you are in form and you are scoring runs, then don’t throw your wicket away. When he got out, there were 18 overs still remaining. Had he played for 9-10 overs more, he could have completed his second double hundred. Rohit Sharma scored three double hundreds. He had the opportunity today. A 200 has been scored at this venue by a player named Sehwag because it is that sort of a track,” Virender Sehwag remarked.