Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that Gujarat Titans youngster Shubman Gill is capable of breaking the record of Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli record of 973 runs if the defending champions get an opportunity to bat against the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
The 23-year-old has been in sublime form in this edition of the Indian Premier League, having scored three centuries in the last four matches he played in the cash-rich league, as the Indian youngster has been producing some tall scores for the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023.
Speaking to India Today, ahead of the all-important finals, Sunil Gavaskar feels that Shubman Gill will get an opportunity to break the record of Virat Kohli’s historic feat in IPL if the defending champions bats first in the final and reckons that this record is not like the record of Sachin Tendulkar or Muttiah Muralitharan’s one in International Cricket, as young Gill can break it on Sunday.
“Yes, it can happen. It looks possible. If Gujarat bat first then Gill will have a big opportunity. If Chennai bat first gets 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 that will be very difficult to break. But here it is all about 122 runs. If Gujarat bats first then it can happen,” Sunil Gavaskar said
Shubman Gill had amassed 851 runs in 16 matches at an impressive average of 60.79 and a strike rate of 156.43 and is just short of 12 runs of Jos Buttler’s record in the 2022 season and the Indian youngster will look to surpass the record of England opener in the grand final.
The Cricketing World Is At His Feet – Sunil Gavaskar On Shubman Gill
Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Gujarat Titans Opener Shubman Gill for his outstanding century against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians in a must-win encounter on Friday. The Indian opener once again proved his worth in the crucial match against five-time champions producing match-winning innings of 129 runs off 60 balls.
“It is very difficult to find more adjectives apart from saying that the cricketing world is at his feet. The sky is the limit for him. That’s all I can say,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
The young Indian opener, who is already touted to be the next big thing in Indian Cricket, has been in the form of life since the start of the 2023 season, proving to be a vital cog for the Indian team in all three formats and will look to continue his fine form going into the grand final against Chennai Super Kings in his favourite hunting ground in Ahmedabad.