Shubman Gill, who was the opener for Gujarat Titans (GT) in their IPL 2023 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), said that the six he hit off Abhishek Sharma was the most satisfying shot he made during his knock. In the 12th over of the game, Gill hit Sharma for a six and a four. In fact, that was Gill’s only six of the game. It was a short delivery from the left-arm spinner, and Gill hit it over the deep square-leg fence.
After being named Player of the Match, the 23-year-old said that he had told Sharma before the game that he would hit him for sixes.
“I think the six off Abhishek Sharma was the most satisfying one because we’ve known each other since we were kids. Before the game, I think I told him, “If you bowl to me, I’ll hit you for six.” Gill, who hit his first IPL century on Monday, said in the press conference after the game, “That made me very happy.”
Gill and Sharma were both on India’s U19 team that won the World Cup in 2018. They have also both played first-class cricket for Punjab.
Gill also said that getting a hundred against Hyderabad was special because it was against that team that he made his IPL debut.
“It’s pretty nice. I started out in the IPL against SRH and got my first hundred against them. I feel like life has come full circle. Getting my first IPL hundred feels great. I’m hoping to get more of those. This season, too, let’s hope.”
Earlier in the IPL, Gill almost got a hundred against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He came back unbeaten on 94 runs off 51 balls. The elegant batter, on the other hand, said that personal milestones don’t mean much to him because he’s more interested in playing well for the team.
“It all depends on the bowlers and the game situation. I’m not the kind of person who thinks too much about the end of my life. Even if I got a hundred or a fifty, it doesn’t matter. More important is what I need to do in this situation, right now.”
At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, GT beat SRH by 34 runs to make sure it would finish in the top two in the points table. Gujarat batted first and scored 188/9, with Gill making his first IPL century (101 runs off 58 balls). Hyderabad could only score 154/9 in response.
The GT opener has scored 576 runs in 13 games, with a strike rate of 146 and an average of 48 runs per game. He has hit 104 fifties.