IND vs NZ: "I Was Itching To Unleash Myself But With Wickets Falling At Regular Intervals, It Was Important To Bat Till The End" - Shubman Gill

Young batsman Shubman Gill became the fifth Indian player to score a double century in One Day Internationals (ODI) after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, and Ishan Kishan. The right-handed batter smashed his maiden double-century in the first ODI against New Zealand, scoring 208 runs off 149 balls to help the Men in Blue register a narrow 12-run win in the series opener.

Gill was batting on 169 at the end of the 47th over, and he changed gears, hitting six sixes in his last 12 deliveries. The 23-year-old smashed three sixes in the first three balls of the 48th over to bring up his double hundred. He hit 12 fours and nine sixes in his innings before being dismissed by debutant bowler Henry Shipley. The Men in Blue posted a mammoth 349 runs and bowled out the visitors for 337 runs.

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It Would Have Been Difficult For The Lower Order To Hit Boundaries – Shubman Gill

During the post-match press conference, Shubman Gill said that he was itching to unleash himself in the last 10 overs but had to restrain himself with wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end.

“Once in England, I hit 6 sixes in 7 balls. I was itching to unleash myself but like I said, with wickets falling at regular intervals, it was important for me to bat till the end and that was also the message from the dressing room. That’s why I had to contain myself and sort of played in a safe way because if I had gotten out, it would have been difficult for the lower order to hit boundaries,” he said.

“First I decided to go hard in the last 5 overs. But with Washy getting out in the 44th, the message was to hit in the last three overs. But I think in the 46th or 47th over, where I hit a couple of sixes, that’s where I decided to go hard. I thought the bowler of my match,” he added.

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Yuvraj Singh took to Twitter to praise Shubman Gill’s innings and tweeted, “200 in a one-day game! At such a young age incredible, unbelievable!! A very proud day for me and Shubman’s dad !!!congratulations @ShubmanGill. the whole country is proud of you #NZvsIND”.

Making Yuvi Paaji Proud Is Definitely A Special Feeling For Me – Shubman Gill

When Gill was asked about his mentor Yuvraj Singh’s tweet, he said it was a special feeling to make his idol proud. He concluded by saying that his father has guided and mentored him ever since he started playing cricket.

“Yuvi Paaji has been a mentor to me, like a big brother. With him during the lockdown and even after that, he’s worked on my batting. My dad has been my primary coach since I started playing cricket. I think making Yuvi paaji proud is definitely a special feeling for me,” he concluded.

Shubman Gill will be seen next in action in the second One-Day International (ODI) of the three-match series at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Saturday, January 21.

Also read: IND vs NZ: Rohit Sharma Becomes The Second Batter In Cricket History To Hit 60 Or More Sixes Against Four Different Opponents

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