Gill slammed his 10th ODI hundred in the first match of the series against the West Indies.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Shubman Gill for brilliant match-winning hundred in the first ODI against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (September 27).
The Indian skipper led from the front, smashing a brilliant 110 runs off 108 balls to help his team chase down a target of 296 with 8 wickets and 50 deliveries to spare. He added 151 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten on 139* off 88 balls.
Earlier, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav produced the bowling figures of 4-40 in 10 overs, which brought India back into the match during the middle overs, restricting the visitors to under 300 after they threatened a much higher total.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan commended Gill's exceptional control and consistency across 2026, drawing a massive comparison to the dominance of legendary Sir Don Bradman.
"Shubman also scored a brilliant hundred. He is going through Bradman form in 2026 and is in complete control. And this is the difference. After the first wicket fell, West Indies threw the game away. They lost their first wicket at 135. And when India lost their first wicket at around 70, even after that it never felt like the West Indies would come close to India. They were in control. Kuldeep had a good day but there is definitely need to work hard on the bowling. But in batting, till Kohli and Gill are in such form, there is no question at all," Pathan said.
Gill has played 9 ODI innings in 2026, scoring 671 runs at an extraordinary average of 95.85 and a strike rate of 109.10 with two hundreds and five half-centuries.
During the match, Virat Kohli completed 15,000 runs in ODIs. He became only the second batter in the format’s history to cross the landmark, joining fellow compatriot Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli reached the milestone in his 303rd ODI innings, achieving it 74 innings faster than Tendulkar.
His record-extending 55th ODI ton came at an incredible strike rate of 157.95, and it featured 10 fours and a personal-best 9 sixes.
Pathan highlighted a notable shift in Kohli's batting style during this match, where he blended his traditional risk-free anchor role with an aggressive, effortless six-hitting ability to guide India home.
“Virat Kohli's era was there yesterday, is there today, and will be there in the time to come as well. This was a brilliant hundred. The best thing about his batting was that he can hit sixes at will. He usually does not hit sixes at will. He takes those singles, hits boundaries, runs the game and plays a long innings. But it looks like the balls on which he takes singles, he can easily hit them for sixes too. There is so much control in his batting and he gives that control to India's batting unit as well. Outstanding batting. Congratulations on 15000 runs and I pray that his era continues. It is fun to watch his cricket and his fitness," Pathan remarked.