[WATCH] Shubman Gill takes a bow to celebrate his 2nd ODI hundred in Thiruvananthapuram vs Sri Lanka
Team India opener Shubman Gill notched up his second ODI hundred in the third game of the series against Sri Lanka at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, January 15. The 23-year-old batter reached the landmark in the 31st over of India’s innings and bowed his head to appreciate the applause of the fans and his teammates.
The Men in Blue won the toss and decided to bat first in the Thiruvananthapuram ODI. The match is a dead rubber since India have already clinched the series with a game in hand. The hosts got off to a brilliant start as skipper Rohit Sharma (42 off 49) and Gill added 95 for the opening wicket inside 16 overs.
After the skipper’s departure, his opening partner carried on batting and went on to complete his second ODI hundred with ease. The elegant right-handed batter reached the landmark by driving a fullish delivery from Nuwanidu Fernando to long-on for a single.
Gill and Virat Kohli exchanged a high five as they crossed over for the former’s 100th run. While the opener did not come up with any extravagant celebrations after reaching three figures, he did take a bow to celebrate the memorable moment.
Gill and Kohli in century stand for the second wicket
After Gill and skipper Rohit laid down a solid foundation for India by adding 95 in 15.2 overs, the former built on the momentum in Kohli's company. The duo added 131 runs for the second-wicket partnership to put India on top.
Kohli reached his half-century in the same over that Gill had got to his hundred. Immediately after crossing three figures, the latter hammered Jeffrey Vandersay for three fours in an over. Kohli also chipped in with a boundary as 18 runs came off the 32nd over of India’s innings.
The fine second-wicket stand ended when Gill was bowled by Kasun Rajitha for 116, trying to look for quick runs. The well-set opener looked to charge down the wicket and even exposed his stumps. Rajitha, however, rolled his fingers on the ball, which also stayed low and ended up crashing into the stumps.
The young Indian opener’s fantastic innings came off only 97 balls and featured 14 fours and two sixes. Thanks to his heroics, India were well-placed at 228/2 after 34 overs.
Gill’s maiden ODI hundred came against Zimbabwe in Harare in August 2022, when he smashed 130 off 97 deliveries.