Young Indian opening batter Shubman Gill was on fire for India against New Zealand on Wednesday (January 18) during the first ODI of a three-match series in Hyderabad. The 23-year-old became the youngest batter to score a double century in One-Day International matches. He faced a total of 149 deliveries to score 208 runs. During his stay at the crease, he hammered 19 fours and nine sixes. He has joined the elite list of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma (three times), and Ishan Kishan to become the fifth Indian and eighth batter overall to score a double century in ODI matches. For his sensational knock against the Kiwis, Gill is earning huge praise from all corners of the world. And admiring the greatness of this young chap, a former Pakistani skipper has also lavished huge praise on him and even compared his elegant stroke play with that of legendary tennis player Roger Federer.
Saying that there’s a glimpse of greatness in Shubman, former Pakistani skipper Salman Butt was in awe of the Indian batter, and he said, “I have been a fan of Gill ever since he played in that World Test Championship final (June 2021) against New Zealand in England due to the time that he has and the elegance and the finish that he has in his strokes. You won’t see many touch players like him in international cricket. There is talk of only power hitters everywhere these days,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.
“This is a different kind of cricket that Gill is playing. It is almost like Roger Federer, who plays his shots with incredible quality and touch. The finesse that Shubman Gill has shown in his game is very rare in players of such a young age. He is one of his kind, and there is a glimpse of greatness,” he added.
One of the major highlights of Gill’s inning was how he didn’t let his batting get impacted by what was happening at the other end. He continued his onslaught and made sure India posted a challenging total on the board.
“It was not just about his touch shots but also about the way he scored his runs despite all major batters getting out at the other end at regular intervals. The way he picked and chose his shots and the bowlers to target showed that his game has already developed to a greater extent,” Butt said.
Gill has scored back-to-back centuries, and he would like to continue his rich form in the second ODI as well against New Zealand, which will take place in Raipur on January 21.
