Though Virat Kohli took the limelight of the Indian innings in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka, thanks to his sublime knock of 166*, it was Shubman Gill who had given the Indian innings the foundation it needed for the huge score they posted in Thiruvananthapuram on January 15, 2023.
Shubman Gill had scored 70 in the first match of the series in Guwahati and had rued the chance to score a huge century as India had posted 373 runs. He then made 21 runs on a difficult pitch in Kolkata in the second ODI.
But when the chance presented once more for the Punjab lad to cash in big time of a docile pitch, Gill made the most of it.
After opening the innings for India with captain Rohit Sharma, who had won the toss and chosen to bat first, Gill added 95 runs for the first wicket and 131 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli.
Despite a cautious start, Shubman Gill slowly took the Sri Lankan bowlers apart methodically. He made 50 in 52 balls but reached his second ODI century in just 89 balls. He was bowled by Kasun Rajitha for 116 runs in 97 balls with 14 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
Talking to the broadcasters after the Indian innings, Shubman Gill said that it felt nice to convert a good start to a century and also shared his thoughts on batting with Virat Kohli.
He said: “Felt very good. Always good when you convert a start to a big one. We were not really looking at any target, just tried to see how the wicket plays. The oddball was keeping low but apart from that, it is a very nice wicket. When you are batting with someone like Rohit Bhai or Virat Bhai, you don't have to do much.
We were just talking about whom to target and when to target. We didn't score much in the first few overs, so then we discussed on scoring faster. He (Kohli) is amazing, I remember watching him as a kid and it feels great to share the crease with him today.”
Kohli continued his good run and made 166* with 13 fours and 8 sixes as India posted 390/5 in 50 overs.
(Star Sports inputs)
