Other batters have excelled with ferocity and showmanship, but Shubhman Gill was in a different league. The precise backlift, the roll of the wrists, the quick footwork, and the still head movements stood out. Gill never looked back after escaping a serious risk when he was at 30, against the Mumbai Indians on Friday.
The Titans reached 233 for three thanks to Gill’s 129 off 60 balls, which included 10 sixes and 7 boundaries. With 851 runs, the opener leads all players in IPL 2023.
There have only been two players with more prolific seasons: Kohli (973 in 2016) and Buttler (863 in 2022).
Gill, who had given life to Mumbai Indians’ campaign with a cracking century only last week against RCB, swamped Rohit Sharma’s men with another ton, his third of the season, on Friday.
Mumbai was in the game till Suryakumar Yadav was at the crease. In fact, they were ahead of the game during the powerplay when Tilak Verma was striking the ball superbly.
The southpaw took 24 runs in the 5th over bowled by Shami who looked in a fine rhythm. Even after his dismissal, MI was going along nicely with a partnership between Green and Surya. But wickets at regular intervals meant MI fall short of the target by 63 runs.
Mohit Sharma took five wickets for Gujarat, who won last year’s crown in a fairytale debut season, after a valiant 61 by Suryakumar Yadav.
Big stages appeal to performers. When the arclights are directly overhead of them, they perform optimally. They like pressure and respond to it with a certain level of assurance that indicates, “Game on.”
Before the toss, a thunderstorm forced everyone to seek cover, but Gill was pacing up and down the stadium’s long staircase. Maybe it was the need to complete a task that he was unable to do in Chennai. Or perhaps that was only a warm-up tactic for him.
What it turned out to be was a stormy night for the bowlers. On, Friday night Shubman Gill became a storm— a storm that destroyed the MI camp mentally and physically. It was all but over in the first half itself after they put up a mammoth score of 233.
The forearm power and accuracy, the forearm speed to meet the ball, and the wrist work all were at the masterly level.“I think this was probably my best innings so far in the IPL,” said Gill at the post-match presentation.
Asked how he cops up with the pressure of expectations, Gill said: “Expectations are something that follows you outside the ropes, but once you step on the field it is all about trying how to contribute to the team.” Gill said starting well is the key for him to score big.
On Friday, there was just one performer. After a prolonged period of rain, the pitch appeared patchy when it was time to bat, but openers Gill and Wriddhiman Saha got things going with a fifty-run stand before the latter left.
Before taking down Akash Madhwal and the seasoned leg spinner for a flurry of boundaries that propelled him to his century off just 49 balls, Gill broke free with sixes against Piyush Chawla and Kumar Kartikeya.
Before getting out in the 17th over, Gill increased his bloodbath and continued creating mayhem by scoring 29 runs off the next 11 balls.
For instance, when Chris Jordan thought he had sneaked in a flawless wide yorker only to see Gill turn it into a low full toss by deliberately opening the bat face after meeting the ball early. Or perhaps he displayed some of Sir Viv’s gum-chewing charisma when he made his no-look pick-up shot for six over long leg and strutted down the pitch to fist bump his partner.
Like the six Cameron Green hit in the 15th over when you briefly questioned how he could make something out of a 140 kph short ball that was designed to cramp him. Then, in the next instant, he had you in awe. The bat changed position and was held nearly vertically, similar to how one would hold one of those battery-operated bats that destroy mosquitoes, as he slid sideways and out of the crease.
“Oh glorious, my goodness,” former West Indies legend Ian Bishop was heard as saying on-air.
He has been hitting sixes after every 16 balls in the IPL 2023, which is a significant increase over his previous seasons’ average of 33 balls per six.
When Gill became the second Indian batter following Kohli’s 2016 season to aggregate 800 runs in a season, the former RCB captain responded on Instagram with a spectacular post. He didn’t write any words; instead, he uploaded a photo of the GT opener as a tale. It just included a star-shaped emoji.
It was an inning, after all, where Gill went beyond the bounds of his own skill. One of the greatest knocks in the history of IPL when was witnessed when Ahmedabad faced Gill-storm just like Bengaluru quite often felt Gayle -storm or the most famous desert-storm in Sharjah.
A whole continuation of his Bengaluru epic had been displayed where McCullum’s 158 or Gayle’s 175 which is the highest-ever score in IPL was in serious danger.
“This innings of Gill will be remembered for years. In this knock, Gill forced opposition captain Rohit Sharma to change his strategy by targeting MI’s main bowlers,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Hardik’s face was smiling, and his head was slowly shaking as well. There was no mistaking the feeling. It was a mixture of admiration and amazement.
Every cricket enthusiast, analyst, and player has the same reaction when they see the 23-year-old Gill play these days. He simply seems to be able to raise the stakes in his signature almost casual, carefree manner.
“The clarity (that) he has this year, the confidence that he is carrying is amazing. The innings which I saw (129 off 60 vs MI in Q2) are one of the finest innings I have seen in a T20 game. At no point did he look rushed. At no point did he look like he was not in control.” – Hardik Pandya speaking about Shubman Gill in the post-match presentation.
Fans enjoy having heroes to aspire after. They also occasionally select an apparent heir too quickly. Although the inevitable comparisons have started, it is definitely too early to draw analogies between Shubman and athletes like Virat Kohli or Sachin Tendulkar. Of course, we can be proud of what the ” Prince “has already accomplished.
If the conclusion ends in a trilogy of tons, Gill-storm will change into the cyclone Shubman in Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad on Sunday in the summit clash between Chennai Super Kings and the Gujarat Titans. Most importantly, he would want to make MS Dhoni’s potential farewell a little anticlimactic in order to win a second IPL championship for the Gujarat Titans, after eliminating Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai with scintillating centuries.
| 
