Last Updated: January 19, 2023, 4:30 PM IST
Kohli, Dravid & other Team India members laud Shubman Gill
After India’s victory, Gill received a warm welcome in the dressing room. He cut a cake to celebrate the milestone while his teammates reserved massive praise for the youngster
‘Phenomenal’, ‘Out of the world’, ‘Chabook’, ‘Pure class’, ‘treat to watch’… these were some of the phrases used by the members of the Indian cricket team to describe Shubman Gill’s double hundred. The 23-year-old cricketer from Punjab stole the show in the first ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday in Hyderabad with a belligerent knock, scoring 208 off just 149 deliveries. His innings, which was laced with 19 boundaries and 9 sixes, laid the foundation for India’s 12-run win over the Kiwis.
India went off to a decent start after opting to bat first. Gill and Rohit Sharma added 60 runs for the opening wicket but the situation became a bit tricky for the hosts after the dismissal of the Indian skipper. Amid the fall of wickets, Gill held his nerve and anchored the innings with authority. He shifted gears in the last few overs and smashed a hat-trick of sixes to Lockie Ferguson to reach his double-ton, becoming the youngest male cricketer to reach the remarkable feat.
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After India’s victory, Gill received a warm welcome in the dressing room. He cut a cake to celebrate the milestone while his teammates reserved massive praise for the youngster.
“Surreal! One of the best innings I’ve ever seen in my life. Even if he wouldn’t have got a double-hundred, still, it would’ve been one of the best innings; with so much grace and the shots he played were effortless. I usually don’t get goosebumps but when he scored the double-ton, I actually got goosebumps,” said Hardik Pandya, who scored 28 off 38 balls against New Zealand.
“I would call it outstanding, considering the next best score wasn’t even 40. And the fact that he got a double hundred was very high-level. I think, he was totally in his element today and he showed why so many people have been saying such great things about him for years. I wish him all the best and hope, he builds on this. Today it was a privilege to watch him bat. It was an outstanding knock,” said Virat Kohli.
Just achieving his potential, many more to go,” said India head coach Rahul Dravid.
“Outstanding knock. Something which was expected, as in the kind of batting he does. I was expecting this to happen,” said batting coach Vikram Rathore.
With a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series, India will look to pocket the series when they face Tom Latham & Co in the 2nd ODI in Raipur on Saturday.
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