Sanjay Manjrekar, a former batter for India, feels that vice-captain Shubman Gill exudes a sense of longevity, which Shreyas Iyer doesn't convey.  This came after India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match against Bangladesh in Dubai.

At the Dubai International Stadium, Gill produced an undefeated 101 off 129 balls while chasing 229 against Bangladesh. The innings was filled with nine fours and two sixes, and India won by six wickets with 21 balls remaining.

On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer scored 15 runs in 17 balls with 2 boundaries and got out after being fooled by a Mustafizur Rahman slower ball.

"He (Gill) is batting at the right position to make a huge impact. When he gets a hundred, like today, it seems like there is plenty left in the tank. It was like 60% of Shubman Gill is enough to get a hundred like this, and he stays till the end.

That is the difference between Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill that Gill will take you right till the end. He is somebody who you think is going to be around for 10-15 years. Shreyas Iyer, despite his obvious talent, doesn't give you that impression," Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo Match Day show.

Manjrekar also said he was in awe of Gill's two sixes clearing the boundary ropes with ease.

"Some of the shots he played, the good-length ball he hit and it went into second tier... the big game is at his beck and call. Can he be better in 50-over cricket as a batter? I don't think so, what can be better than this?" he said.

This was Gill’s slowest hundred in ODIs, but it was well worth as he showed great confidence overcoming the challenge from Bangladesh on a sluggish Dubai pitch.

"He's got the class to do it (change gears). India is blessed with (a top three) who are also Test batters, so they can play different gears. Yashasvi Jaiswal, when he comes in eventually, is also a Test batter. So, if the ball is swinging around in overseas conditions, they have the ability to see the new ball through and then handle the various situations.

Shubman Gill is that kind of a player, he is not one-dimensional, he has all the gears and we saw him do that today as well. He is a guy at the top of his 50-over-cricket prowess and he does it very calmly. There is an air of dominance and surety with the way he bats and finishes games,” Manjrekar said.

"And also the ability to nick off singles, keep that scoreboard ticking. It is not that he plays the sweep shot a lot or the dab. He goes very traditional and loves to keep the bat straight. Even when he is playing the pull shot, the bat comes down very straight.

A lot of his singles would be back-foot punches to long-on instead of playing just with soft hands. A guy who can get singles at will, can hit a six at will, has got a reasonably good defence for 50-over cricket, he's the complete player at the moment," concluded Manjrekar.

Gill and Iyer will be in action on February 23, Sunday, when India takes on Pakistan in a blockbuster clash in Dubai.

(IANS inputs)