'Shubman Gill was getting tired. It'll sound controversial...retire him out': Doull's fresh 'milestone' jibe at GT star

On Sunday, Doull reiterated his milestone theory in a fresh jibe targetting Shubman Gill, who scored 94 runs in the match against Lucknow Super Giants.

T20 has evolved a lot over the years. If one simply considers batting, metrics like strike rate and boundary percentage define a knock more than fifties scored in a tournament. And this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has illustrated that on a lot many occasions. In fact, former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull has reiterated time and again that fifties and centuries should be stopped to be considered a milestone in T20 cricket. On Sunday, he said the same, this time in a fresh jibe targetting Gujarat Titans' Shubman Gill, who scored 94 runs in the match against Lucknow Super Giants. (GT vs LSG Live Score, IPL 2023)

Shubman Gill; Simon Doull

Gill started off slow and struggled to look for boundaries on what looked like a belter given the way his partner Wriddhiman Shah was firing on the Ahmedabad track. GT scored 78 for no loss in the powerplay, their highest ever score in that phase in IPL where Saha managed 54 off 23. Gill, on the other hand pulled off 22 off 13. The former continued his onslaught in the middle overs as well and Gill only loosened up with twin sixes against Ravi Bishnoi in the ninth over.

The youngster eventually managed 94 off 51, lacing seven sixes and two boundaries as GT pulled off 227 for two in 20 overs. But Doull, in conversation with Cricbuzz, opined that he wasn't quite impressed with the knock where Gill struggled for boundaries in stretches.

The veteran cricketer explained that teams need to make the most of the option of retiring a batter if he cannot go for the big shots, pointing out to the fact that someone like Rahul Tewatia could have been introduced which could have bolstered their score a bit more.

“Shubman was getting tired. He wasn't able to hit the boundaries at much as he could. And it can happen. Listen...it might be controversial, but I am waiting for the day when a bloke gets 75 or 80 off 45 balls and is cooked after the afternoon heat which is 45 degrees and hence quite can't get there so he says 'Okay Tewatia, you are out there.' Retire him out,” he said.

Doull also stressed on the fact that hundreds are milestones in cricket only if it comes in a winning cause.

“I'm saying time and time again, milestones don't matter in this game. I know people will still say hundred is a hundred. Yes it is, but it's a hundred if you win. If you lose, it means jack. I feel were just quite there when a guy says that he is tired and is not able to hit the boundaries. And if you have ammunition in the bank then why not use it,” he added.