Ahmedabad, May 27 (IANS) Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya says Shubman Gill, who is hitting centuries consistently in the IPL 2023, makes the art of hitting the triple digit mark so easy than eating breakfast regularly.
Gill slammed a majestic 129 with the help of ten sixes and seven fours while taking Mumbai bowlers to cleaners all over the park as Gujarat posted 223/3, which is also their third century of the current season, thus leading the victory of the team in 62 points. over Mumbai Indians in Qualifying 2 and set up a meeting with Chennai Super Kings in Sunday’s Final.
“He’s used to scoring 100s and he makes it look like it’s just breakfast for him. I’ve been lucky enough to see a lot of T20 100s. But what I’ve seen (in that game) was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Every time we saw him play those 55 (60) balls, we were like it was one hell of a shot. Very, very, very proud of him,” Pandya said during the post-match interaction with Gill in a video posted on the IPL Twitter account.
Pandya also predicted that Gill, currently the top run-getter in IPL 2023, will soon become one of the game’s biggest superstars.
“Sometimes we have to stop that person because he hits a lot. I’m afraid to see him beat so much. He deserves all the success. This man is going to be an amazing cricketer not just for franchise cricket but also for India. He is already one but he is going to be the biggest superstar,” said the GT skipper.
Speaking about his astonishing turnaround in form, Gill said securing the First Century IPL against Sunrisers Hyderabad was a turning point. Since then, Gill has scored three centuries in his last four rounds of IPL 2023.
“In the first half of the IPL I was getting those starts. But I wasn’t able to convert them so I knew it was about getting that cent and I knew when I would get that cent, it’s about changing your mind and then you start thinking and playing differently, and that’s what worked for me, he says.
Gill also opened up about how he manages to stick to his batting basics amidst a busy IPL schedule.
“I feel like when you play a lot of matches some things change. You don’t realize that because you try to do certain things while you play and if you don’t keep working on your basics when you play a lot, we all know how cruel this game is, three odd games where you don’t score and you feel like crap, where are you in this game, ”said the Titans opener.
“I keep trying to work on my basics, keep trying to go back. My hands, my back, my feet, my head position so that I always get used to being in a good base and a good position and not getting carried away by the bad habits that you choose, ”a he added.
The 23-year-old hitter also revealed what Pandya told him after joining the franchise last year.
“Last year before I started the IPL, he (Hardik) was the first person who came to me and said, ‘you play how you want to play’ and I feel before I got the chance to play for GT, sometimes I felt like I was trying to play like someone I wasn’t and he gave me that confidence to be able to play the way I wanted to play. It was awesome,” said Gil.
–IANS
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