NEW DELHI: Not content with setting up victories for Gujarat Titans, opener Shubman Gill wants to seal them as well by batting till the end, the 23-year-old said after their win against Punjab Kings.
With 183 runs from four matches including two half-centuries, Gill is Gujarat's most prolific batsman this season, and fifth in the list of leading scorers.
|
IPL 2023 SCHEDULEIPL 2023 POINTS TABLE
"I feel I should have finished the match," Gill, who went for a boundary only to be bowled by Sam Curran, said after Gujarat's third win in four matches.
"The wicket got tougher towards the end. It was difficult to score boundaries."
The elegant right-hander has emerged as an all-format player for India and his seven international hundreds include a stellar 208 in a one-day international against New Zealand in January.
1/10:IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans sink Punjab Kings in last over thriller
ANI
2/10:Shubman Gill
<p>Shubman Gill starred in a six-wicket win for defending IPL champions Gujarat Titans over Punjab Kings in Mohali on Thursday. </p>AFP
3/10:Sam Curran
<p>Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat were cruising towards victory until Sam Curran removed Gill for 67 in the final over of the chase to raise hopes for Punjab. </p>AP
4/10:Rahul Tewatia
<p>Curran tried to defend seven off the last off but Rahul Tewatia smacked the penultimate ball for four to win the game. </p>AP
5/10:Shikhar Dhawan
<p>Punjab, captained by Shikhar Dhawan, could only score 153/8 after they were put in to bat by their opponents.</p>PTI
6/10:Disciplined bowling performance
<p>None of the Punjab batters managed to convert their slow and scratchy starts into a bigger score against a disciplined bowling performance from Gujarat.</p>PTI
7/10:Mohit Sharma
<p>Mohit Sharma, who made his debut for Gujarat Titans, bowled tight lines and took a tidy 2/18 in a man-of-the-match display.</p>PTI
8/10:Rashid Khan
<p>Mohit Sharma was well supported by Rashid Khan (1/26), Alzarri Joseph (1/32) and Josh Little (1/31). </p>PTI
9/10:Prabhsimran Singh
<p>Punjab lost Prabhsimran Singh for a second-ball duck and Dhawan (8) soon followed.</p>IANS
10/10:Matthew Short
<p>Matthew Short steadied the innings with 36 off 24 balls before falling to Rashid Khan's spin.</p>PTIGill's unbeaten 126 off 63 balls against New Zealand in February is the highest individual score in a T20 International by an Indian batter.
Former Test batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said Gill should develop himself into a finisher, following in the examples of former India captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
"That's how you become a great batsman," Manjrekar told Cricinfo website.
"You've got all the talent. I mean, the guy drives off the front foot and then pulls with such authority."
"But the Virat Kohlis and Mahendra Singh Dhonis are great T20 batters because they stay there till the end and finish the game."
"That's a next step for him, because this was the match when he could have maybe grown in stature a little more by staying unbeaten."
Gujarat face 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals in their next game on Sunday.
Meanwhile, legendary Australian opener Matthew Hayden feels that with a penchant for making big scores, the supremely gifted Gill is set to dominate world cricket for the next decade.
Hayden is one of the many to have been impressed by Gill's ability to control the proceedings.
Speaking to Star Sports, Hayden said, "Gujarat Titans needed someone to take responsibility and bat deep in this run chase against a quality Punjab Kings bowling attack, and Shubman Gill did just that.
"Some of the shots that he played were pleasing to the eyes. He's such a class player and he's going to dominate world cricket for the next decade or so."
From GT's point of view, it was extremely important that Gill stayed on till the end, especially after the dismissal of captain Hardik Pandya with the team still 48 runs away from victory in 34 balls.
Gill's innings contained seven fours and a six.
In what looked like an easy run chase for a star-studded Gujarat Titans batting line-up, the defending champions faced a late scare in Mohali.
However, the 'ice cool' Rahul Tewatia and seasoned campaigner David Miller finished the game for their team with a ball to spare.
This was Gill's second fifty of IPL 2023.
(With agencies inputs)
