Shubman Gill was in sublime touch for GT vs MI in IPL 2023 Qualifier 2.© BCCI/IPL
The story of Shubman Gill keeps getting better and better with every match. The talented opening batter has already been anointed the ‘prince’ of Indian cricket by billions of fans and Gill gave them another reason to show that he rightly deserves the title more than anybody else. The 23-year-old Gill slammed his third century of IPL 2023 for Gujarat Titans in just 49 balls against Mumbai Indians in a must-win IPL Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Friday. While reaching the triple figure mark thrice in one season is a big feat in itself, the commanding fashion in which Gill reached the mark was a treat to watch in itself. This is the joint fastest ton in IPL Playoffs. Wriddhiman Saha (2014 final) and Rajat Patidar (2022 Eliminator) also reached the triple-figure marks in 49 balls.
Gill ultimately fell on 129 off 60 balls in the 17th over. By then, Gujarat Titans had already crossed the 190-mark. “It’s a joy to watch subhman gill bat… #wow,” Irfan Pathan’s tweet perhaps summed up the brilliant innings in a nutshell.
The supreme control with which Shubman Gill destroyed the MI bowl was clear in a simple stat. When Gill was in his 90s – he had 91 per cent of his shots from the middle of his bat, while he was beaten in only 2 per cent of the deliveries. That stat shows the kind of touch that the man is in. Gill is the seventh batter to score a ton in IPL playoffs and at 23 years and 260 days, he’s the youngest. Only Virat Kohli (4 tons for Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2016) and Jos Buttler (4 for Rajasthan Royals, 2022) have scored more tons than Gill in a single IPL edition.
Gill currently has 851 runs in in the IPL 2023. Only Virat Kohli (973, RCB, 2016) and Jos Buttler (863, RR, 2022) have scored more runs than him in a single season.
“We have played our best cricket when we have lost and this is one of those days. Definitely it plays a part, you have to know which side to target, if it’s bigger boundaries and they bowl in good areas, look for doubles, smaller boundaries look to take it on. The new ball held up a bit, there was not much grass on that wicket, the ball was coming on nicely and with the outfield wet it stopped swinging after 2 overs. I wish this was possible – I will carry it everywhere [on this Ahmedabad pitch],” Gill said after the innings ended.
Topics mentioned in this article
