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When Shubman Gill won the Player of the Tournament award in the 2018 U19 World Cup, he was touted to be the next superstar in Indian cricket.
Gill's initial seasons from 2019 to 2021 offered glimpses of his talent and effortless stroke-making ability. Yet, the lack of consistency meant Gill was in and out of the side until an impressive 2022 season set things up for the following year.
However, even the staunchest Indian or Gill fan would be lying if they predicted the storm that would arrive in 2023. Establishing himself as a regular member of the Indian side in all formats, the 24-year-old broke several records on his way to becoming the leading run-getter for the year.
In addition to his heroics in international cricket were his spectacular performances for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL. But amidst all the extraordinary highs were some lows, especially in the latter half of the year.
On that note, let us revisit Shubman Gill's performances through the lenses of numbers across formats and in the IPL in 2023.
Shubman Gill rose into superstardom with a season for the ages in ODIs
The ODI format was undoubtedly Shubman Gill's best in 2023, with the batter touching stratospheric levels throughout the year.
After an impressive 2022 in ODIs with an average of over 70 in 12 games, the young sensation began 2023 in other-worldly fashion. Gill started with a 70 and 116 in the three-match home ODI series against Sri Lanka as India thumped the Lankans 3-0.
However, it was the following New Zealand series at home that Gill forced the cricketing world to take notice. The Punjab-born batter smashed a maiden double century with his 208 off 149 balls in the first ODI. He became the youngest in the format's history to achieve the feat.
Gill scored another century in the series finale at Indore to shred the Kiwi attack into submission. A sudden dip in form followed when the talented batter failed to cross 40 in all three ODIs against Australia at home. And four months later, it was another relatively quiet series against the West Indies, with only a lone half-century in three games.
Yet, Gill cut loose again in the Asia Cup, finishing as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 302 runs at an average of over 75 to help India clinch the title. He then made up for his disappointing home series against Australia earlier in the year by averaging almost 90 in the two matches against them before the ODI World Cup.
With much expected out of Gill in the mega event, the right-handed batter displayed flashes of brilliance mixed with some low scores. He finished with a respectable 354 runs at an average of 44.25 with four half-centuries in the tournament.
Shubman Gill also scaled Mount Everest by recently becoming the world's No.1 ODI batter and is currently in second position behind Babar Azam.
Gill finished the 2023 season with 1,584 runs at an average of 63.36 and a strike rate of 105.45, including five centuries in 29 ODI games. During the year, he also became the fastest to 2,000 ODI runs in a mere 38 innings.
Technical deficiencies and change of batting position haunted Shubman Gill in Test
Unfortunately for Shubman Gill, he could not replicate his ODI heroics in the longer format. The 24-year-old endured a dismal Test season in 2023 following an excellent start.
Gill started the year with a sensational 128 in the final Test at home against Australia after a couple of low scores. Yet, following that was a string of low scores until the first Test of the ongoing series in South Africa.
Scores of 13 and 18 in India's World Test Championship (WTC) final loss to Australia marked the beginning of Gill's misery against the red ball. He scored only 45 runs at an average of 22.50 in the two Tests against the West Indies after willingly moving to No.3 in the batting order.
The poor form continued in the first Test of the South Africa series, with scores of 2 and 26, as India suffered a humiliating innings and 32 runs defeat.
An average of 28.66 in six Tests in 2023 does not do justice to Gill's talent, and the youngster will look to tighten his defensive technique to respond strongly in 2024.
Scintillating peaks and staggering lows defined Shubman Gill's T20I season
Shubman Gill's performances in T20Is in 2023 are the hardest to fathom or explain, with the batter debuting only last year, unlike the other two formats.
The 24-year-old struggled in his first two outings against Sri Lanka with single-digit scores before a valuable 46 in the final game. A similar pattern followed against New Zealand, but the final T20I saw Gill score a monster 126* off 63 deliveries to help India clinch the series 2-1. It is also the highest T20I score by an Indian batter.
However, a shockingly ordinary display in the five-match series against the West Indies saw Gill score a lone half-century amidst four other single-digit scores.
The year culminated with Gill registering scores of 0 and 8 in the T20Is against South Africa. He scored under double figures in nine of his 13 T20I innings but scored 45+ in three of the other four stints, evidence of his all-or-nothing season in T20Is.
Overall, Shubman Gill finished with 312 runs in 13 T20I games at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 145.11.
Shubman Gill's record 2023 IPL season fell agonizingly short of leading GT to the title
Shubman Gill's recent struggles in South Africa make his incredible IPL season in 2023 feel like a distant past.
After helping the Gujarat Titans (GT) to their maiden title in 2022, the 24-year-old took his T20 game to magical heights last season. The star batter became the second-highest run-scorer ever in a single IPL season with 890 runs at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80.
Despite scoring 35+ in seven of the first ten games, Gill could not convert them into three figures.
However, a sublime 94* off 56 against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was the stepping stone that Gill needed to go on a memorable run to finish the 2023 IPL season.
After a failure against the Mumbai Indians (MI), the swashbuckling batter became the fourth batter to score back-to-back centuries in the IPL. The right-hander smashed 101 and 104* against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Gill's best knock of the IPL came in the crucial Qualifier 2, where he smashed MI for 129 off 60 balls to propel GT into a second consecutive final. Despite providing a terrific start to his side with a quickfire 39 in the final, GT came up short in a last-ball thriller against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Nevertheless, Gill's IPL masterclass had him anointed to superstar status in World Cricket, and the opening batter will look to live up to those standards with the additional captaincy duties in 2024.
Shubman Gill's 2023 numbers
ODIs: 29 games, Runs: 1,584, Average: 63.36, Strike rate: 105.45, 100s: 5
Tests: 6 games, Runs: 258, Average: 28.66, Strike rate: 62.77, 100s: 1
T20Is: 13 games, Runs: 312, Average: 26, Strike rate: 145.11, 100s: 1
IPL: 17 games, Runs: 890, Average: 59.33, Strike rate: 157.80, 100s: 3
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