Young batter Shubman Gill is having a great time in the ongoing overseas tours of India. The recently concluded ODIs against West Indies marked his comeback after a gap of two years. The 22-years-old justified his selection, ending the 3-match series as the highest run-getter with 205 runs, averaging 102.50. He was unfortunate to miss out on his maiden ODI hundred in the rain-curtailed 3rd match but on the back of some spectacular performances, he found a spot in the squad for the Zimbabwe tour as well.
IND vs ZIM, 2nd ODI Live Cricket Score
In the series opener against Zimbabwe on Thursday, Gill joined forces with partner Shikhar Dhawan and stitched a match-winning 190-run stand for the opening wicket. He returned unbeaten for 82 off 72 deliveries, as India clinched the game by 10 wickets. His innings was laced with a six and 10 boundaries while Dhawan remained not out on 81.
On Saturday, Gill opened up on his experiences so far in the ongoing overseas tours. Speaking with Sony Sports Network ahead of the state of the 2nd Zimbabwe ODI in Harare, he said the surfaces in West Indies were difficult but constant backing from Dhawan and instructions from head coach Rahul Dravid helped him overcome the situations.
“It was all about getting experience in the middle and that was the talk with Rahul sir to spend as much time as possible. The surfaces in the West Indies were slightly difficult and I wanted to spend time and gain experience. He (Dhawan) is such a chill guy to bat with and we don’t talk much about cricket when batting in the middle. In white-ball cricket, you have to play fewer dot balls and that does not mean to hit every ball, you have to keep rotating strike,” Gill said while speaking with the broadcasters ahead of the start of the 2nd ODI.
Earlier, Rahul won the toss and elected to bowl first against the hosts. India are currently leading the three-match series 1-0. A win in the second ODI will seal the series in their favour.
After winning the toss, Rahul said pacer Deepak Chahar, who made a successful return to international cricket in the first ODI with 3-27 in seven overs, misses out on Saturday’s match and has been replaced by Shardul Thakur in the playing eleven.
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