Shubman Gill, who scored a double ton in Hyderabad in the 1st ODI against New Zealand, got out playing a cross-batted stroke against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram in the 3rd ODI. His father wasn’t happy then.
Right from his U-14 days, Shubman Gill’s father, Lakhwinder Gill, an ardent cricket fan, would get upset whenever he threw away his starts. When the entire country was celebrating Shubman Gill’s famous 91 at Gabba, Shubman Gill Sr was ruing the fact that why all of a sudden his son “played away from his body” against Nathan Lyon.
Shubman Gill’s Father Always Had High Expectations From His Son: Gurkeerat Mann Singh
When Shubman Gill scored his first century in India at Thiruvananthapuram against Sri Lanka, Lakhwinder Gill again was very upset after he got out on 116.
“You see how he is getting out, even after he scored a century, he had enough time to score a double century. He will not get these starts all the time. When will he learn?” Gurkeerat Mann Singh narrates the lament he heard from Shubman Gill’s father at his residence on Sunday.
“Lakhwinder paaji always had high expectations from Shubman. We all had, right from his childhood days. It is good to see him finally converting his starts and I hope Lakhwinder paaji will be pleased today,” Mann says.
Gurkeerat Mann Singh feels Shubman Gill was never out of form even and was never short of confidence as well.
He said: “He has always been scoring those 40s and 50s. But that century was not coming. The form was never an issue. A batter is out of form if he is struggling to get into double digits. He was always getting those starts. But a cricketer of his calibre will always be under pressure to perform. People will always expect him to score big runs.”
Shubman Gill became the first player to score a double hundred in ODIs against New Zealand. He surpassed the unbeaten 186 by Sachin Tendulkar at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in the same city in 1999, which was the previous highest individual score against New Zealand.
Shubman Gill Had Dedicated His Debut Ton To His Father
After scoring his maiden ODI hundred against Zimbabwe, he had dedicated his century to his father. Shubman Gill averages an impressive 68.88 in 19 ODIs having amassed 1102 runs with 3 tons- one each against Zimbabwe (130), Sri Lanka (116) and New Zealand (208).
“My father has been my primary coach. I got a bit of schooling the day before yesterday when I got out for 33. So this one is for my dad,” he had said during the post-match presentation.
On Wednesday, Shubman Gill blazed his way to 208 off 149 balls with the help of 19 boundaries and nine sixes to ensure India posted an imposing total in the first ODI against New Zealand. The problem with Shubman Gill has been his inability to convert his starts.
At 23 years & 132 days, Shubman Gill became the youngest-ever player to score a double hundred in ODI. He eclipsed fellow teammate Ishan Kishan, who was 24 years & 145 days old when he smashed 210 against Bangladesh in Chattogram last month.
After missing out on a century in the Guwahati ODI against Sri Lanka, he had said: “I was disappointed when I got out on 70, because I think I did all the hard work and it was time to capitalise on it and get a big one for the team. I got out in the 20th over. I had almost 30 overs to bat.”
Gurkeerat Mann Singh talks about the adjustment Shubman Gill has made in his batting.
“He has realised that his strength lies in playing with a straight bat. In Bangladesh, he got out playing a paddle sweep and even in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, he was trapped in front while playing a cross-batted shot. He is learning every day and this is just the beginning of a great career,” says Gurkeerat Mann Singh.
Shubman Gill’s 208 powered India to a mammoth 349 on a tricky surface, evidenced by the fact that no one else in the innings reached 35. The match looked dead and buried when the visitors were reduced to 131/6 before Michael Bracewell (140) and Mitchell Santner (57) staged a barely believable comeback and almost pulled off a coup before falling agonizingly short by 12 runs.