India’s young batter Shubman Gill displayed his class in the 3rd T20I match against New Zealand as he smashed his maiden T20I century in the series decider. Gill, who showed his mettle in ODIs, wasn’t able to continue that form in the first two matches of the T20I series, but in the final match of the series he proved his ability in the shortest format too.
He completed his century in just 54 deliveries and set the Narendra Modi Stadium on fire. Thanks to his sensational ton, India achieved a monumental total of 234 runs in 20 overs. Now former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra admitted that he thought Shubman is suited for the longer formats only.
“The first question in your mind might be whether Shubman Gill has become a T20 cricketer now. I will keep my hands on my heart and say the truth – I felt he plays Tests very well, ODI is his favourite format but I wasn’t 100 per cent certain about T20s.
“I admit it, I say in front of everyone, there is nothing wrong. He has made such a big score now, it is fantastic. I eat my words, they are very, very bitter. It is the truth that it is the highest T20I score by an Indian.”
I would say he has started to walk in that direction: Aakash Chopra
Aakash also talked about the gap between the whole Kiwis’ team score and his individual score as the visitors were bundled out for just 66 runs. The right-handed batter ended up scoring 126 runs off just 63 balls, which included 12 fours and 7 sixes. He said that Shubman has started to become a proper T20 cricketer.
“If we talk about the gap between his individual score and the opposition team’s score, that’s also the second highest. The Afghanistan guys were in front of Virat Kohli in the Asia Cup and now it is about here.”
“So has Shubman Gill become a T20 cricketer? I would say he has started to walk in that direction. The day he plays, he plays like this, he has shown that by doing it. But is the debate sealed now – I am not 100% certain whether there will be no further discussions about this.”
