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Team India opener Shubman Gill continued his dream run in ODI cricket with another magnificent half-century against Bangladesh on Thursday, October 19. He received applause from fans for his aggressive 53 in winning cause in the contest.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. They notched a respectable total of 256/8 in 50 overs after contributions from Tanzid Hasan (51), Litton Das (66), Mushfiqur Rahim (38) and Mahmudullah (46).
In a tricky chase, Shubman Gill hit a four off his first ball and got off the mark in style. At the other end, Rohit Sharma continued his good form and kept scoring at a brisk pace. However, runs dried up for Gill after his first boundary as he took some time to get his eye in with Bangladesh bowlers keeping things tight.
He broke the shackles in the seventh over with an attempted big shot, which earned him a boundary. Gill shifted gears slowly after that and then hit two sixes in the 10th over against Nasum Ahmed to cover up for the dot balls earlier in his innings.
He scored briskly after that and scored his reached his World Cup half-century in the 19th over. Shubman Gill then tried to up the ante by attacking the off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz and lost his wicket in the process in the 20th over.
Fans took note of Shubman Gill's useful knock against Bangladesh and took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their opinions. Here are some of the best reactions:
Virat Kohli hits his 48th ODI century and wins the match for India after Shubman Gill's departure
Shreyas Iyer (19) gave company to Virat Kohli for a while after Gill returned to the pavilion. However, he also perished against Mehidy Hasan while looking for a big shot.
Virat Kohli put on a match-winning 83-run partnership with KL Rahul (34*) for the fourth wicket to help India gallop towards a comfortable victory. Kohli played an effortless knock and completed his 48th ODI century off the final ball of the match by hitting a six.
At the post-match presentation, Indian captain Rohit Sharma reflected on the win and said:
"Really pleased with how we went about our work! Our fielding has been quite superb and really happy with how we pulled things back in the middle overs today in the first innings."
Giving an update about Hardik Pandya's fitness, Sharma said:
"Hardik Pandya has not damaged his ankle much, it is sore but then, with injuries like that, it's about assessing the situation. Let's see how he wakes up tomorrow and we will take it from there."
On the road ahead in the World Cup, Rohit added:
"New Zealand will definitely be a big game for us, but again, wherever we play in India, the support is just fantastic and we get buoyed by the presence of such loyal crowds."
India will next face New Zealand at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala on Sunday, October 22.
