The Gujarat Titans secured a close win against Punjab Kings on Thursday night, securing their third win of the 2023 Indian Premier League season. Chasing a 154-run target, the Titans did face some hiccups towards the closing stages of the game but Rahul Tewatia secured a win for the side, hitting a four when Titans needed as many to win from the last two deliveries. Their opener Shubman Gill was the star for GT with the bat, as he scored an important 67 off 49 deliveries, smashing seven fours and a six.
Gill held one end as wickets continued to fall on the other, and maintained the pace of run-scoring as Sai Sudharsan (19 off 20 balls), Hardik Pandya (8 off 11 balls), and David Miller (17* off 18 balls) all struggled to hit big throughout their innings.
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Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja was mightily impressed with Gill's battting in the game against Punjab Kings, and expressed his agreement with the popular opinion that Gill could succeed Virat Kohli's as India's next top-batter across all formats.
“He has so much potential, he has so much time. He looks so naturally beautiful when he plays. When he drives, there's a curve on the shot. He has a lot of time to play his strokes. It doesn't matter if he scores on the off side, on side, hook or pull, it's just so beautiful and neat-and-clean. Many predict that he could be the next best batsman after Virat Kohli. He has touch, class, and elegance like Rohit Sharma. And his temperament is quite strong,” Raja said on his official YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“He has so much potential, he has so much time. He looks so naturally beautiful when he plays. When he drives, there's a curve on the shot. He has a lot of time to play his strokes. It doesn't matter if he scores on the off side, on side, hook or pull, it's just so beautiful and neat-and-clean. Many predict that he could be the next best batsman after Virat Kohli. He has touch, class, and elegance like Rohit Sharma. And his temperament is quite strong,” Raja said on his official YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“From Tests, ODIs, and T20Is as well, he has tormented the bowlers. When you see him, it seems the time has stopped. At such a young age, he already has records. Sky is the limit for him,” he further said.
Gill is currently fifth among the highest run-scorers in the ongoing edition with 183 runs to his name in four matches.