Shubman Gill could do no wrong on Friday during the IPL 2023 second Qualifier match between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians. To be honest, he has been in that mode for the better of the last six months. A maiden Test century, a record ODI double hundred – he is the youngest to do so in men’s cricket, a T20I ton and three centuries in the 16th edition of the IPL with the final still remaining, have all come in this period. Gill is taking rapid strides towards emerging as the most probable answer to the ‘Who next after Virat Kohli in Indian cricket?’ question.
The GT opener, who hadn’t had a single century to his name in the IPL before this year and was released by Kolkata Knight Riders mainly due to his low strike-rates in the previous editions, has so far scored a whopping 851 runs in 16 matches in IPL 2023 at an average of 60.79 and a strike-rate of 156.43. Besides scoring three centuries and becoming only the second Indian after Virat Kohli to score more than 800 runs in a single season of IPL, Gill has hit 33 sixes. To put matters into perspective, the highest number of sixes he had hit in a single edition before this year was 12 in 2021.
He hit 10 of those on Friday to render an MI attack which had bundled out LSG for a sub-par total a couple of nights ago, appearing ordinary. But according to Gill, it was not until the 12th over where hit MI pacer Akash Madhwal, who had picked record figures of 5/5 in the last match vs LSG, for three sixes, that he felt like it was his day.
“For me, it is playing ball to ball, over to over. The over where I hit three sixes gave me the momentum to go big. That’s when I realised it could be my day. It was a good wicket to bat on as well. Not a conscious decision, you keep inventing as a batter but for me, the belief is more important,” Gill said after the match.
Gill, who scored 129 – the highest score ever in an IPL playoff match – off 60 balls to guide GT to a commanding victory – said he worked on his technique before the New Zealand series that followed after the T20 World Cup last year.
“I have worked on a few areas and made technical changes ahead of the New Zealand series after the T20I World Cup. Expectations follow you outside the ropes, but once you step on the field it is all about trying to contribute to the team,” Gill added.
Gill displayed some terrific skills against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia. “I am coming off a good international season as well. Had a good season last time as well. When I start well, I feel confident I can score well. From the last WI tour, I think I have shifted gears, I got injured before the last IPL but I have been working on my game,” Gill said.
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