Shubman Gill made 37* in 20 balls in first T20I against Australia.
Dinesh Karthik, ex-India cricketer, has drawn comparisons between the style of batting of legendary Virat Kohli in ODIs and Shubman Gill in T20Is. This comes after Gill made 37* in 20 balls in the first T20I between Australia and India in Canberra, which was abandoned due to rain.
Gill looked sure of the shots he played and didn’t take undue risks, yet his runs came at a strike rate of 185. This led to Karthik drawing an intriguing connection between Gill and Kohli, illustrating how the rookie opener's smooth run accumulation resembles the previous captain's calm but effective ODI batting style.
"This is what Virat Kohli does in ODIs. You'll never know where he is till you look at the scorecard. "You'll think he has only been around for some time, and he'll be on 45," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Karthik also commented on the strong battle for slots in India's T20I team, stating that vice-captain Gill faces a difficult task in retaining elite talents like Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top. Ruturaj Gaikwad and KL Rahul, however, are still waiting for a chance to return to the team.
"I am sure he is aware of the kind of players he is keeping out, starting from Sanju (opening), Yashasvi, and the rest, like Ruturaj and KL Rahul, etc. It's not easy to be a T20 player right now because you need to be consistent, exceptionally skilled, and almost play a match-winning knock every second or third game. That's the kind of depth India has," he added.
Shubman Gill, who is the Test and ODI captain of the Indian team, was also named the vice-captain of the T20I side that is captained by Suryakumar Yadav. Since his comeback to the T20I squad, he has replaced Sanju Samson as the opener, alongside Abhishek Sharma, while Jaiswal is still waiting for his chance in the side despite having an incredible IPL record.
Karthik also suggested that Shubman's recent elevation to leadership roles across formats boosts his confidence in scoring big runs.
“But the fact that he is the Indian captain and vice-captain will give him a lot of confidence. That helps you up to a point, but then you need to go out there and put out the runs, which he has done nicely today,” he concluded.
(Cricbuzz inputs)