NEW DELHI: India’s new ODI opener Shubman Gill has impressed skipper Rohit Sharma with his understanding of hitting in one-day cricket. Young Gill has jumped at the chance to open with his skipper with both hands and nearly nailed his lock for the foreseeable future ODI World Cup later in the year.
Gill scored a record 360 runs at an impressive average of 180 in the just concluded three match ODI series against New Zealand which spanned two centuries.
“He understands his batting, he runs his innings well. That’s what you want in one-day cricket. You want to go big, you want to go deep in your innings. He showed that. He’s got big hundreds,” Rohit told reporters after their 90-run win in the third ODI at Indore.
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Top 5 – The Best of Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill’s Opening Stands
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Hands down the best opening partnership between the veteran Rohit Sharma and the younger Shubman Gill.
The duo attacked the Kiwi bowlers from the start in the 3rd ODI and struck up a huge 212 run partnership. Rohit made 101 from 85, equaling Ricky Ponting with 30 ODI centuries, while Gill hit a 78-ball 112 for his 4th ODI century in 21 ODI innings. In doing so, Gill also equaled Babar Azam’s record for most runs in a bilateral ODI series of 3 matches or less (360)
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill recently posted a blistering 143 runs in the 1st ODI vs Sri Lanka at Guwahati. While Rohit hit a 67-ball 83, using 3 sixes and 9 fours, Gill scored a 60-ball 70 using 11 fours. India won the match by 67 runs and eventually the series 3-0.
In the same series, the third ODI at Trivandrum saw the new Indian ODI opening pair of Rohit and Gill make 95 runs for the first wicket. Gill was the aggressor here, hitting a 97-ball 116, with 2 sixes and 14 fours. Rohit scored a 49-ball 42. India put up a massive 390/5 and then finished the SL innings for 73, winning the match by a record margin of 317 runs.
In the first ODI against No. 1 ranked ODI team NZ, India started brilliantly, again thanks to the Rohit-Gill partnership, adding 60 runs for the 1st wicket.
Rohit was the early aggressor, but after Rohit’s sacking, Gill was all about the Kiwi bowlers. Gill became the 5th Indian and 10th male cricketer overall to score a double hundred in ODIs totaling 208. India scored 349/8 to win the match by 12 points
In a low-scoring 2nd ODI vs NZ, where the Black Caps scored first only 108 at bats, both Rohit and Gill came out on top again.
The Indian skipper scored 51 out of 50 while Gill scored 40 out of 53. The opening pair added 72 runs off 86 balls. India eventually won the match by 8 wickets
With veteran Shikhar Dhawan’s patchy form effectively taking him out of contention for a place in the major tournament, India has focused on Gill and Ishan Kishan as potential opening partners of Rohit.
Gill’s 112 against New Zealand on Tuesday was his third hundred in four innings, including a double hundred in the series opener in Hyderabad.
Gill and fellow centurion Rohit forged a 212-point stand on Tuesday to set up a 3-0 series as India dethroned New Zealand as the top-ranked one-day team.
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Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill star as India tops the ODI rankings with a win over NZ
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Skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill hit attacking centuries to help India beat the one-day international series against New Zealand with a 90-run victory in the third and final ODI on Tuesday.
Rohit (101) and Gill (112) put in 212 for the opening wicket in Indore to lead the hosts to 385-9 after being invited to bat first in Indore.
In reply, Devon Conway’s 138 was in vain as India beat New Zealand for 295 in 41.2 overs for their second successive 3–0 whitewash to top the ODI rankings.
It was Team India’s second consecutive clean sweep after beating Sri Lanka last week.
Rohit, who recorded his first ODI century since January 2020, and Gill stood out in the highest opening partnership of any team against the Kiwis in the 50-over format, surpassing the 201-run stand of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in 2009.< br />
The New Zealand bowlers hit back after the pair’s exit as India fell to 293-5 before Hardik Pandya took the lead and increased the total with a 38-ball 54.
It all started with Gill crushing Lockie Ferguson for four fours and a six in a 22-run eighth over and Rohit joined the party with some big hits over the fence.
Gill recorded his third 100-plus score in his last four ODI innings, took off his helmet and received applause from the stands as he reached the milestone.
Michael Bracewell bowled Rohit and Blair Tickner sent Gill back in the next over and India soon lost regular wickets, despite a solid 36 from Virat Kohli.
New Zealand skipper Tom Latham used six bowlers and it was his sixth option — spinner Bracewell — that gave the tourists their first breakthrough.
Left-hander Ishan Kishan was eliminated after a mix-up with Kohli, who soon fell to Jacob Duffy.
Pandya scored 54 for the seventh wicket with Shardul Thakur hitting 25.
In reply, New Zealand lost Finn Allen on the second delivery of their chase after Pandya bowled the opener for nothing.
Conway held on to add 106 for the second wicket with Henry Nicholls, who hit 42, and 78 for the third with Daryl Mitchell (24).
The southpaw Conway fought hard as the wickets fell on the other side as he increased his third ODI hundred with a six-off leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
Thakur dented New Zealand’s pursuit as he struck twice with successive deliveries, falling Mitchell behind and then skipper Tom Latham halfway.
Conway, who hit 12 fours and eight sixes in his 100-ball blitz, looked unstoppable until speedy Umran Malik caught the batsman mid-wicket.
Bracewell, who hit 26, and Mitchell Santner, who made 34, tried to continue the fight, but Bracewell’s wicket off Kuldeep Yadav, who took three wickets, spelled the end for the Black Caps.
The two teams will play three Twenty20 internationals in Ranchi from Friday.
Gill hit a career-best 208 against New Zealand on a flat course in Hyderabad and was named Player of the Series for his total of 360 from three innings.
“No matter how flat the field is, getting a double hundred isn’t easy. In that match, the next best score (by a teammate) was 34,” said Rohit.
“It shows he was calculating and he knows he has to hit deep. A regular hitter has to hit as long as possible… He has great maturity in the way he thinks about his game, the way he approaches the ball .” game,” added Rohit.
Rohit’s 101 off 85 balls was his 30th ODI hundred, leveling with Australian Ricky Ponting. Only compatriots Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (46) have scored more centuries in this format.
“I just want to play my cricket, enjoy my cricket and bat the way I’m batting at the moment. When the numbers come out they look good, but I don’t think a cricketer plays for numbers,” said Rohit.
(With input from Reuters)
