Shubman Gill justified the tag of the No. 1 ranked ODI batter as he slammed a magnificent hundred to script India’s six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy 2025 opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 20.
The Indian vice-captain scored 101* off 129 balls in the chase of 229. It was his second consecutive ODI ton, reinforcing his dominance in white-ball cricket and drew high praise from the Australian legend Ricky Ponting.
Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting hailed Gill’s rise to the top of the rankings, calling it a reflection of his class and consistency.
"He thoroughly deserves to be the number one ranked batter in the world at the moment," Ponting said. "It's a great sign for India that he's got his account underway early in the first game of a Champions Trophy."
While Shubman Gill is yet to leave a big mark in Test cricket, Ponting emphasized that ODIs and T20s are perfectly suited to his style.
"He's been a very, very good international player for a number of years," Ponting noted. "He hasn't sort of transferred that over into Test Match cricket yet, but his white-ball cricket over the last three or four years has been outstanding. Look, he's a big-game player as well. He's played really well in IPLs over the last couple of years, obviously being captain of his franchise there."
In particular, Ponting praised Gill's ability to score freely in ODIs. "He can come out and be nice and aggressive early in the power play with the field up, get some boundaries away early by playing good, naturally aggressive cricketing shots. He's not a big hitter, he doesn't try to do anything outside of his natural game, but he scores boundaries almost at will against fast bowling."
Beyond his batting prowess, Ponting also sees leadership potential in Gill. "He just seems like a really nice character, very driven for what he wants to achieve in the game. We've had a chance to catch up over the last couple of years, particularly around the IPL season. I just like his demeanor. He seems like a very driven guy that wants to be the best he possibly can with batting and also in leadership," Ponting said.
Shubman Gill will look to carry his good form into India’s next match against arch-rivals Pakistan, scheduled for Sunday (February 23) in Dubai.
