GT vs KKR: Tom Moody hails 'world-class' Shubman Gill's century vs CSK; highlights impact of T20 World Cup 2024 exclusion

Former Australian cricketer and cricket expert, Tom Moody, lauded Shubman Gill for his remarkable performance during the Gujarat Titans’ (GT) 35-run win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 59th match of the ongoing IPL 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 10.

Gill played a stellar knock of 104 runs off 55 balls, studded with nine boundaries and six maximums, and contributed significantly to the Gujarat Titans’ (GT) win against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Ahmedabad.

Gill, along with Sai Sudharsan (103), set a new IPL record with their extraordinary 210-run partnership at the opening stand for GT against CSK on Friday. Gill faced challenges in maintaining his usual batting brilliance from the start of the ongoing IPL 2024 after taking over GT’s leadership following Hardik Pandya's departure to the Mumbai Indians (MI).

Tom Moody hails Shubman Gill's sensational century vs CSK

Before the GT vs CSK game, the 24-year-old opener had only 322 runs in 11 matches to his name. The right-handed batter’s inconsistent performance in the tournament led to his exclusion from India's 15-member preliminary squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA.

Well, Moody said that Gill was undoubtedly elated about GT’s stunning win over CSK as the captain. He also mentioned that Gill would be thrilled with his personal achievement of scoring a century and contributing to the team's success.

Furthermore, Moody pointed out that Gill's century against CSK reaffirmed his status as a world-class player. The former Australian also believes that missing out on India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad might have impacted Gill's performance in the ongoing IPL 2024.

Shubman Gill's century affirms his world-class status: Tom Moody

Tom Moody said on Star Sports: “First and foremost, as the captain of the side, he'll be over the moon with the win, that would be the foremost thing on his mind. Secondly, he'll be thrilled about scoring a century for a couple of reasons. One, it signifies his significant contribution to the team's success.

Two, it reaffirms his status as a world-class player. He's obviously gutted about not being part of India's World Cup 15 that's travelling to the Caribbean and the US. It has really had a massive impact on his contribution as a run-scorer in this year's IPL.”

Notably, Gill has been named as one of the traveling reserve players for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, along with Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, and Khaleed Ahmed. India will kick off its T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5.

Gujarat is currently sitting in the 8th spot on the IPL 2024 points table, with 10 points from the 12 games that they have played so far in the tournament. While GT’s playoff chances are very slim, they will be hoping to beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their next home game on May 13. GT will play their final game of this season against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 16.