Shubman Gill has scored three centuries, including a double hundred in the last six ODIs, but it was his slip-catching that has caught Team India’s head coach Rahul Dravid’s attention.
Shubman Gill made his second century in the three-match series against New Zealand to equal a rare record set by Babar Azam against West Indies in 2016.
Shubman Gill’s Slip Catching Is A Remarkable Change In The Last 6-8 Months: Rahul Dravid
Shubman Gill made 112 runs off just 78 balls in Indore on Tuesday, bringing up his fourth ODI ton and the second of the series. Earlier in the series in Hyderabad, the opener had smashed a 208 to become the fifth Indian to get to an ODI double hundred.
With the latest knock, Shubman Gill took his tally of runs in the bilateral series to 360, having made 40 in the second ODI of the series. The tally of runs is the joint-most recorded by any batter in a bilateral ODI series of three matches or lower. In 2016, Babar Azam also made 360 runs during the series against West Indies, registering three hundreds in three matches.
Coach Rahul Dravid, who played 509 matches for India and took a total of 406 catches while mostly standing in the slip cordon, said, “The way you have been coming to us to take more and more slip catches. To field the way you have fielded and the way you’ve taken those catches, it tells me that something is clicking and you are looking to get the best out of yourself and I think for me that’s been a remarkable change in your over the last six to eight months.”
In Test cricket, Rahul Dravid holds the record for the most number of catches (210) taken by a non-wicketkeeper.
While highlighting the growth of Shubman Gill the player and how he has evolved over the years, Rahul Dravid said, “I just think it’s your hunger and your maturity that I have seen and it’s noticeable in very small things. Obviously you always loved to bat from the time I have seen you from the time you were a kid. You always liked batting and scoring runs. Me as a coach, I always look to see the hunger in young kids and desire to improve and get better.”
Shubman Gill has had a terrific start to his ODI career, racking up 1254 runs in 21 matches at an average of 73.76 and a strike rate of 109.80. The youngster completed 1000 ODI runs earlier in the series in his 19th ODI innings, becoming the fastest Indian and the second-fastest global to the landmark.
Rahul Dravid Reckons Shubman Gill Have Always Been An Exceptional Talent And Has Maturity Beyond His Age
Rahul Dravid was all praise for Shubman Gill as the two spoke after sealing the ODI series against the Kiwis.
Speaking about his maturity as a cricketer and how he wants the young batter to utilise it, Rahul Dravid said, “You have always been an exceptional talent and you always have maturity above your age. I think anyone who has seen you will say that there’s always been that maturity, but what we are sensing now is hunger and long may that continue and understanding of your game as well because as you play more and more, you are figuring out your game, your shots and to construct these innings. I think for me that’s been a huge difference over the last six months.”
3rd ODI Brief Scores:- India 385 for 9 (Gill 112, Rohit 101, Pandya 54, Tickner 3-76, Duffy 3-100) beat New Zealand 295 (Conway 138, Nicholls 42, Thakur 3-45, Kuldeep 3-62, Chahal 2-43) by 90 runs