Shubman Gill no Prince? Indian batter's fate described before Kanpur Test vs Bangladesh

Published - 25 Sep 2024, 02:39 PM | Updated - 25 Sep 2024, 02:42 PM

Shubman Gill 5

Aakash Chopra believes that Shubman Gill deserves the nickname "Prince" due to his impressive performance in international cricket.

The former Indian opener highlighted that Shubman Gill has scored more international centuries than Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for India since 2020.

Gill was dismissed for a duck in India's first innings during the series opener in Chennai.

However, the right-handed batter bounced back with an unbeaten 119 runs off 176 deliveries in the second innings. Rohit Sharma's team recorded a convincing 280-run victory on Sunday, September 22.

Shubman Gill Is Going Far Ahead - Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted Shubman Gill's impressive record of scoring 12 international centuries since 2020. Chopra said that Gill justified his nickname as Kohli's batting heir in Indian cricket.

"Who has scored the most hundreds for Team India in this decade? It's a very interesting one. There was a tweet from CricCrazyJohns, and we said we never realized that" Chopra said.

"He wrote about the most hundreds for India in this decade in international cricket - Shubman Gill has 12 hundreds in 114 innings. It is absolutely phenomenal," he added.

"Rohit Sharma, in the same timeframe, has played 148 knocks and scored 10 centuries. Virat Kohli has played 149 knocks and scored 10 centuries and both of them are our GOATs (greatest of all times). So Shubman Gill is going far ahead with 12 centuries. We are not giving him the status of 'Prince' wrongly."

Gill's unbeaten 119 in the recent match was his second consecutive century in Test cricket.

He scored 110 runs off 150 balls during India's innings victory over England in Dharamsala earlier in March. The second and final Test of the ongoing series is set to begin on Friday, September 27, in Kanpur.

Shubman Gill Has It In His DNA - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra went on to say that Gill is on his way to greatness. Chopra highlighted that his determination and talent are a positive sign for the future of Indian cricket.

"He has it in his DNA. I am saying this guy is running towards greatness because he feels, actually, he is convinced, that if he puts his mind to matter, greatness beckons. It is a very good story for Indian cricket," Chopra further stated.

The Punjab cricketer made his debut in Test cricket in December 2020 against Australia in Melbourne.

He has scored 1,611 runs in 26 Tests at an average of 37.46, including five centuries and six fifties. Gill started his career in Tests as an opener, but he transitioned to batting at the No. 3 position.

The 25-year-old has amassed 578 runs in 21 T20Is at an average of 30.42 and a strike rate of 139.27, with his highest score being an unbeaten 126 against New Zealand.

In ODIs, he has scored 2,328 runs in 47 matches at an impressive average of 58.20 and a strike rate of 101.74, including six centuries.

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