The wait for Shubman's Gill display of excellence doesn't seem to end. The Punjab-based batsman comes with loads of talent but has been extremely inconsistent since the start of his international career. Apart from the T20Is, Gill has been tried and tested by the Indian management both in ODIs and Test matches. The right-handed batsman made his India debut back in 2019 and was being touted as India's answer to the all-important number 4 spot.
Shubman Gill could never make it to India's final ICC 2019 World Cup squad but he was soon given the Test cap and was expected to deliver. At one point in time, Gill was considered the heir to former skipper Virat Kohli, but he failed to secure his place in the limited over format. Gill's biggest achievement in the India colors so far has been his innings at the Gabba which helped India defeat Australia by 2-1. The Gujarat Titans batsman was also criticized for his low strike rate in the Indian Premier League and hence was not retained by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 2022 mega auctions.
India is touring West Indies recently where they are scheduled to play 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is. Shubman Gill earned his ODI call-up with the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma resting which opened up a spot for him at the top of the batting order. India is currently on a cricketing spree and after the 15th edition of the IPL, they have played loads of cricket against different oppositions as they want to finalize a core group of players who will be taking that flight to Australia.
Gill kickstarted the series on a positive note as he played a knock of 64 runs off 53 deliveries. He was in with a chance of getting his maiden hundred but he fell prey to Nicholas Pooran's brilliant run-out attempt. India somehow managed to win the game but it was Gill's knock that grabbed many headlines. In the second ODI, while chasing a huge total of 312, Gill opened with Dhawan. He looked fidgety for the initial phase of his innings but with Dhawan at the other end, he was extremely cautious of the good balls that were being bowled at him.
After the rain delay, when India came out to bat, it was Gill who tried to take on the attack to the hosts but he was soon dismissed by 43 by Kyle Mayers.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
India Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson(w), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan
West Indies Playing XI: Shai Hope(w), Brandon King, Shamarh Brooks, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran(c), Rovman Powell, Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, Hayden Walsh
