NEWS
Follow UsA week ago, Shubman Gill had no IPL centuries to his name, despite having batted 82 times in the competition. He’s now struck two tons in six days, and on Sunday at the Chinnaswamy, Gill played arguably the best T20 knock of his career, yet, as he smashed a stunning 104* against Bangalore which was fittingly capped off with a six.
Chasing 198 in front of a raucous Bangalore crowd, Gill and Gujarat felt that heat at one point, as the stadium erupted after Mohammed Siraj saw the back of Wriddhiman Saha. The track wasn’t the usual Chinnaswamy either, with the odd ball stopping. The outfield was slow too, thanks to the heavy downpour prior to the start of the encounter.
However, Gill, who entered Sunday on the back of a ton, picked up from where he left against Sunrisers Hyderabad and smashed a stunning ton that silenced the Bangalore crowd, and ultimately knocked RCB out of IPL 2023.
It was a knock that was close to flawless, and he eventually finished with 104* off just 52 balls, smashing 5 fours and 8 sixes.
To no one’s surprise, skipper Hardik Pandya was full of praise for the youngster, who’s quickly turning into the best all-format batter in the country.
“He knows when he plays those cricketing shots and bats like a batter, it's a different Shubman Gill. Today, the kind of options he picked and the kind of places where he was hitting, as a bowler he doesn't give any chance,” Pandya said at the post-match presentation.
“That makes him very special and the other batter gets confidence from him as well.”
The ton on Sunday means that Gill now has three 90+ scores in his last four innings, all unbeaten. Converting starts into big scores was something he struggled with at the start of the season, and Gill, Player of the Match for his efforts, expressed that he was pleased to have started batting through the innings and, in turn, winning matches.
“In the first half of the IPL, I was missing out on those big ones. I was getting a lot of 40s and 50s. Thankfully, it's all working out for me in the business end of the IPL.”
In the past, there have been times when Gill has been guilty of slowing down a tad, but Sunday was not one of those instances. He kept the foot on the accelerator and that’s what enabled to eventually finish with a SR of 200.00. Post match, he stressed on the importance of intent in T20 cricket.
“You need to keep playing shots in T20 cricket. You have to keep the intent and keep applying yourself, keep the belief.”
Gill’s partnership with Vijay Shankar was as much responsible for knocking RCB out as the youngster’s knock itself. After the early loss of Saha, the duo put on 123 runs together. The partnership put them in the ascendency and ended up deflating the hosts’ charge big time.
Gill revealed that he asked Shankar to focus more on timing than power on a wicket that was slightly tricky. The advice worked, as Shankar went from 18 off 15 to 53 off 35 balls, scoring 35 off his last 20 balls.
“The new ball was holding a bit, but it got easier to bat on. The ball was getting wet, it was difficult for their spinners to bowl. He (Shankar) was trying to hit too hard when he came in, I told him to hold his shape and just try to time it.”
Next up for Gill and Gujarat Titans, a date with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk on Tuesday in Qualifier 1. Facing CSK at Chepauk is a daunting prospect for any side, but Gill believes the Titans have what it takes to conquer CSK’s fortress and book a place in the final.
“It's going to be an exciting one, playing against Chennai in Chennai. We have got a great bowling attack for that wicket in particular and hopefully we'll make it to the final for the second time.”
