Manjrekar praises Gill while being unsure about Iyer’s ability to take India right until the finish line in ODIs.
Manjrekar praises Gill, calling him ‘the complete player at the moment’.
Shubman Gill is a “lambi race ka ghoda [one for the long haul]” who can get a century, like he did in India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh, albeit batting at barely 60%. According to Sanjay Manjrekar, Gill creates the idea that he will be around for another ten to fifteen years, whereas Shreyas Iyer does not.
“He [Gill] is batting at the right position to make a huge impact. When he gets a hundred, like today, it seems like there is plenty left in the tank,” Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “It was like 60% of Shubman Gill is enough to get a hundred like this and he stays till the end. That is the difference between Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill that Gill will take you right till the end. He is somebody who you think is going to be around for 10-15 years. Shreyas Iyer, despite his obvious talent, doesn’t give you that impression.”
“Some of the shots he played, the good-length ball he hit and it went into second tier… the big game is at his beck and call,” Manjrekar said. “Can he be better in 50-over cricket as a batter? I don’t think so, what can be better than this?”
Gill led India in their pursuit of 229 in Dubai and finished undefeated at 101 against Bangladesh. With nine fours and two sixes in his knock, he faced 129 balls and made sure India reached home with 21 balls remaining and six wickets. His front-foot pull off Tanzim Hasan in the ninth over was one of his two sixes, and it went deep-midwicket into the second tier of the stands.
By the end of the first powerplay, Gill had accelerated to 26 off just 23 balls, including four fours and a six. However, he maintained an in-and-out field and slowed down when Bangladesh used spin on a slow track.
“He’s got the class to do it [change gears],” he said. India are blessed with [a top three] who are also Test batters, so they can play different gears. Yashasvi Jaiswal, when he comes in eventually, is also a Test batter. So if the ball is swinging around in overseas conditions, they have the ability to see the new ball through and then handle the various situations. Shubman Gill is that kind of a player, he is not one-dimensional, he has all the gears and we saw him do that today as well. He is a guy at the top of his 50-over-cricket prowess and he does it very calmly. There is an air of dominance and surety with the way he bats and finishes games.”
The Indian camp would have been a little uneasy when they went from 112 for 1 to 144 for 4 in less than eight overs, but Gill remained composed and completed the chase, earning praise from Kumble.
“He’s been brilliant, especially in this format. The elegance and the ease with which he got that hundred on a difficult pitch,” he said. “I don’t think it was a true pitch where the ball was coming on nicely. It was on the slower side and you had to make adjustments, yet he was middling the ball and timing it so well.
“The best part about Shubman Gill was he ensured he saw the game through. It was not like he wanted to get going, get runs [and get out], we have seen that before. That is the maturity he has brought into the game. Hope this is the start of a fantastic season for him and India, because when you play the first match in a tournament and you get a hundred not out and you are there till the end, it augurs well.”