“Don't know if he intentionally tried to bowl wide” - Shubman Gill on Nasum Ahmed bowling a delivery down leg as Virat Kohli approached hundred 

Team India opener Shubman Gill has played down the controversy around left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed bowling a delivery down leg as Virat Kohli approached a hundred on Thursday. Giving the benefit of doubt to the bowler, Gill said that he was not sure whether it was deliberate.

India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in match number 17 of the 2023 World Cup at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune to maintain their perfect start to the competition. With Kohli approaching a hundred, the first ball of the 42nd over was bowled down leg by Nasum. The batter let it go and, and to the surprise of many, umpire Richard Kettleborough did not declare the ball a wide.

In the same over, Kohli went on to reach his hundred and brought up India’s victory as well by hammering the Bangladesh bowler over the ropes for a maximum. At a post-match press conference, Gill was asked about the delivery down leg from Nasum that became a matter of debate.

“I don't know if he intentionally tried to bowl wide or he was just trying to keep it tight and then went away,” he replied.

While Kohli struck a magnificent hundred, Gill also notched up his maiden ODI World Cup half-century, scoring 53 off 55 balls. The opener missed the team’s first two matches due to illness.

Asked about his knock and the feeling of playing in the World Cup, he said:

“Obviously felt nice. When I was a little sick, I was feeling a bit disappointed on missing out on those opportunities, but definitely felt nice to get some game time.”

The 24-year-old also admitted that the team is pleased to be chasing well in the World Cup. The Men in Blue have looked at ease while batting second and Gill revealed that it’s an area they worked on leading in to the World Cup.

“I mean, you can see how confident they are, the way they are scoring runs. Definitely, I think this is one of the things which was talked about, especially leading up to the World Cup, that we were not chasing that well, those big totals. But I think, having won all the four matches while chasing, I think it's a great way to have that momentum with us in those big games that we'll have moving forward,” the opener said.

India have won all their four matches in the 2023 World Cup while chasing targets.

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“Always try to learn from them” - Gill on impact of seniors

While Gill has been in terrific form with the bat over the last year, he is still relatively new to the international scene. The youngster admitted that he is trying his best to learn from seniors like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

“To see them how they go about their business in World Cup and in big games is what I always try to learn from them. I think there's a fine line between sometimes being too aggressive or going in the shell, especially playing big games. But I think the way they play, the way their mindset is playing those big games in the World Cup is what I try to learn from them,” Gill said.

Gill and Rohit added 88 for the first wicket against Bangladesh, while Kohli remained unbeaten on 103 off 97 balls.