IND vs ZIM 2022: "He will not get to bat regularly at this number" - Aakash Chopra lauds Shubman Gill's knock in 1st ODI
Aakash Chopra has lauded Shubman Gill for making the best use of his opportunities as an opener, a position he's unlikely to retain for long.
Gill smashed an unbeaten 82 off just 72 deliveries in the first ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare on Thursday (August 18). The stylish opener strung together an unbroken 192-run first-wicket partnership with Shikhar Dhawan to help India chase down a 190-run target with ten wickets to spare.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra appreciated Gill for his maturity, explaining:
"Let's talk about Shubman Gill because of the way he is batting. The maturity is visible. The Player of the Series of the last series, and here he was playing cautiously. He will not get to bat regularly at this number, both you and I know that."
Chopra reckons Gill could be a future No. 3 batter for India. The former India opener elaborated:
"Rohit Sharma will open with Shikhar Dhawan as soon as he is back. As of now, KL Rahul is not opening; if he wants, he can also open. Virat Kohli comes at No. 3, but Shreyas Iyer is also giving an audition for No. 3. I feel even Shubman Gill is absolutely ready for No. 3."
Gill made his ODI debut at No. 3. He did not enjoy a great outing, though, managing only 16 runs in his two innings against New Zealand in 2019.
"Shubman Gill is a phenomenal story" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Gill's promise was evident from his Under-19 days, pointing out:
"Shubman Gill is a phenomenal story; they say your future can be seen when you are an infant; it was seen in under-19 and then in the Melbourne debut. Then also there was the thinking that he is not the opener you are looking for in Test cricket, but he will bat in the top three in white ball cricket."
Chopra concluded by saying that the youngster will barge into the playing XI if the current players do not continue to perform. The renowned commentator said:
"He did amazingly well for the Gujarat Titans as an opener; here also he is getting a chance as an opener and is not letting go of his opportunities. I think he is going to start building more pressure on the rest, that if all of them continue scoring runs, he will remain out, but if they open the door even slightly, he will come in."
Performance of Shubman Gill in the last 4 ODI matches:
64(53)
43(49)
98*(98)
82*(72) https://t.co/ZBBDKuvyEB
Gill has amassed 336 runs at an excellent average of 67.20 in seven ODIs he has played so far. He has smashed 287 runs in his last four knocks and was unfortunate to miss out on a maiden international century in the final ODI against the West Indies.