Indian opener Shubman Gill revealed that he hasn’t changed his approach after scoring a double-century against New Zealand. Gill scored a piece-de-resistance knock of 208 runs off just 149 balls against the Kiwis in the first ODI of the series.
Gill continued his prime form, scoring an unbeaten knock of 40 runs in the second game. The youngster then scored a brilliant inning of 112 runs off just 78 balls in the third and final ODI of the series against the Blackcaps at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on Tuesday.
Again, Gill timed the ball to perfection and looked at his absolute best against the Kiwis. This was Gill’s fourth ODI century as he continued his purple patch.
The 23-year-old has grabbed his opportunity with both hands while batting at the top of the order. Gill scored a total of 360 runs in the series at an average of 180 and a strike rate of 128.57 and matched Babar Azam’s record of most runs in three-match bilateral series.
The Indian opener was awarded the Player of the series. He said in the post-match presentation, “Feels nice when you have a series and you perform well. I don’t think my approach has changed after the double hundred. It’s all about getting a start and converting every game. Just to be in the situation and looking to score helps convert those starts for me. Our bowlers bowled really well on this wicket.”
On the other hand, Shardul Thakur was awarded the Player of the match for the final game as he scalped three wickets and also scored a little cameo of 17-ball 25.
Thakur said after the game, “I am liked by my teammates (chuckles). When the opponents come after you it’s important to stay in the moment. I don’t overthink. You got to be ready for different situations. Everyone enjoys batting. in the modern-day world, it’s all about batting.”
There were a lot of positives for India as they clinched the series by 3-0 and became the number-one team in the ICC ODI rankings. The Rohit Sharma-led team will want to continue in a similar fashion in the World Cup year.