When former India head coach Ravi Shastri was asked in an interview to pick a batter who could break Virat Kohli‘s untouched record of 973 runs in IPL 2016 season, without any hesitation, he picked Shubman Gill. And why not. The India batting star headed into the 2023 IPL season on the back of a century spree across formats this year which included a record ODI double hundred as well. And why Gill stood far from the tally at the halfway mark in the season, a staggering stretch of three centuries in four innings in Gujarat Titans‘ run to a second straight IPL final saw the 23-year-old stand another triple-figure mark away from Kohli’s record. And while it might be a big ask given the stage and the opponents GT will be up against, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes Gill can match the record.
Gill’s first century came at home, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Gujarat’s penultimate league game. He emulated the same at Chinnaswamy, an effort that stopped RCB’s bid to make the playoffs. The GT opener then played one of the most formidable knocks of the season with record 129 against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 match.
With the three centuries in four innings, Gill now stands atop in the Orange Cap race this season with 851 runs. The tally is third-best in IPL history. Kohli still stands atop with 973 runs in 2016 season followed by Jos Buttler, who scored 863 runs in 2022.
Hence, Gill stands 13 runs away from going past Buttler, a half century away from being the second batter to score 900 or more runs in a season and 122 runs away from matching Kohli’s record. So can Gill match the mark in the IPL 2023 final against Chennai Super Kings?
Gavaskar, in conversation with India Today, absolutely agrees given the form Gill is in at the moment.
“Yes it can happen. It looks possible. If Gujarat bat first then Gill will have a big opportunity. If Chennai bat first get all out for 180 then 122 will look impossible. But yes, records are meant to be broken. And this is a record unlike Sachin Tendulkar’s run in Test cricket or Muttiah Muralitharan’s 800 Test wickets, those are the ones which will be very difficult to break. But here it is all about 122 runs. If Gujarat bat first then it can definitely happen,” he said.
In his previous two matches against CSK this season, Gill scored 105 runs which include a 63 off 36 and 42 off 38.
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