"He is not happy to rest on laurels but wants to get better than yesterday" - Sunil Gavaskar lauds Shubman Gill

Legendary player Sunil Gavaskar said prodigious Indian batter Shubman Gill has learned very quickly from his mistakes in the past. Gill played a sensational knock of 208 runs in 149 balls against New Zealand in the first ODI on Wednesday, January 18. The Indian opener struck 19 fours and nine sixes to become the fifth Indian player to hit a double-ton in ODI cricket.

Gill's splendid innings powered India to a commendable score of 349 in the first innings. To understand the impact of Gill's dominance, the second-best score from the team sheet was 34 scored by Indian captain Rohit Sharma.

While dissecting the 23-year-old's innings on Sports Today, Gavaskar said:

"Sometimes there is a perception about a particular player which can be because of the kind of game he plays in a particular format. We have seen him in the IPL playing some capital innings."

Shubman Gill has gone by leaps and bounds to push his case as India's opener in the 50-over format ahead of senior player Shikhar Dhawan. Since 2022, the Punjab batter has amassed 1053 runs in 16 innings at an average of 81, including five half-centuries and three centuries.

Gavaskar also pointed out that Shubman Gill could have scored his first double-ton against Sri Lanka itself, but lauded the youngster for learning from his recent innings and bettering his performance.

"(Gill) batted well against Sri Lanka," Gavaskar explained. "He got a half-century and a century. And then maybe looking at the way he got out in the previous game (in Thiruvananthapuram), that is where he might have said to himself. That he could have gone out to bat and got a double-hundred."

"He has learnt very quickly and that is the most encouraging sign that somebody is not happy to rest on his laurels but wants to get better than yesterday," he continued.

Shubman Gill scored 207 runs against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded three-match home ODI series. He scored 116 runs in the final ODI, where he was dismissed in the 34th over.

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"Shubman Gill was rewarded by the team management" - Sunil Gavaskar

Shubman Gill made his ODI debut for India against New Zealand in January 2019. He was slotted to bat at No.3 in only a couple of innings from the five-match series but didn't make any impact as he recorded single-figure scores in both innings.

He played in the final ODI against Australia in December 2020, where he made 33 off 39 balls. The youngster had to wait for 19 months to play his next ODI game as India fielded a second-string team against the West Indies and Zimbabwe for the 50-over bilateral series with their focus being on the T20 World Cup.

Gavaskar is of the opinion that Gill grabbed his opportunity at the right moment and the team management showed faith in him.

"I think he has been consistent over the last 6-8 months," Gavaskar continued. "Scoring runs in New Zealand and just about everywhere. He was rewarded by the team management (by) giving him an extended run. He has taken that opportunity with both hands."

Shubman Gill became the fastest Indian batter to reach 1000 ODI runs in 19 innings, surpassing Virat Kohli's record of 24 innings to attain the milestone.

Gill was overall the second joint-fastest batter to score 1000 ODI runs as he leveled with Imam-ul-Haq (19 innings). Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman holds the record, having reached the landmark in 18 innings.