India managed a staggering victory against the mighty Kiwis in a thrilling contest of the willow and the leather with both teams chipping in with a daunting show. Shubman Gill was the star act for the Indians while there were significant cameos at the other end coming in from Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.
Shubman’s staggering 208 was unmatched by anyone in the game, especially in the Indian camp as the next best score for the Men in Blue was a modest 34 that came from the blade of the Indian skipper who looked in decent touch at the start of the innings but failed to sustain his momentum till the end.
Virat Kohli didn’t have a great outing on the last day but he was highly appreciative of what Shubman Gill did in the series opener. Taking cognizance of the brilliance that Gill stitched in his due tenure at the crease, Virat Kohli talked in detail about the impeccable strokeplay coupled in with some gritty tenacity from the youngster.
In a video on BCCI.tv, Kohli said, “I would call it outstanding. Especially considering that the next best score wasn’t even 40, and the fact that he got a double hundred was a knock at a very, very high level.”
Kohli further added, “I think he was totally in his element today and showed why so many people have been saying such great things about him for years. I wish him all the best. Hope he builds on this. Today it was just a privilege to watch him bat.” Skipper Rohit Sharma was also all praise for Gill after the match. “Watching Gill bat is fanastic, clean striking and no aerial shots. We wanted to give him a run before the SL series the kind of form he was in. He’s such a free-flowing batsman.”
Gill became the fifth Indian batter to rack up a double-century in ODIs, eventually also becoming the youngest double-centurion in the shorter format of the game, launching 9 sixes and 19 fours in the process.
