Sehwag was left rather miffed, wanting a bigger score from Shubman Gill as he subtly mentioned his Indore and Rohit Sharma’s ODI feat.
Shubman Gill had fallen 26 runs short of the triple-figure mark on Friday in Mohali in the opening match of the ODI series against Australia, as he walked back with his head down in sheer disappointment at failing to finish the innings for India himself in the chase of 276. But on Sunday, on a batting-friendly track at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, with the longest boundary being 69 metres, Gill ensured that he got to his 6th ODI century, with which he broke a plethora of records. But India legend Virender Sehwag was not satisfied with the knock. Sehwag was left miffed, wanting a bigger score from an in-form Gill.
2023 has all been about Gill. Dominating thoroughly in the ODIs, especially, the young India opener has already smashed more than 1200 runs this year, the most by a batter in the format, with five centuries. Four of those came in India, which is now the joint most by a batter at home in a single calendar year as he matched Ricky Ponting and Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas. The feat also took him closer to breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs in the 50-over format in a year, with most backing the 24-year-old to shatter the feat during the World Cup.
Despite the record show in Indore, Sehwag, in conversation with Cricbuzz, was left fuming at Gill not making the most of his form and missing out on a bigger score. He explained that scoring bigger runs are easy at a young age, with form, given that the body can recover quickly and allow the player to field as well, but it gets difficult with age.
‘Gill missed out on a double century’: Sehwag
“He missed out last time but ensured that he got his hundred today, but I would still say that the form he is in he should have scored 160 or 180. He is now of just 25. Had he scored 200 today then he wouldn’t have become tired and could have fielded as well. At 30, he would have found it difficult because he wouldn’t have recovered. So it is better to score big runs now,” he said.
Sehwag further pointed out that when Gill was dismissed there were still a lot of overs left and had he stuck around for a few more deliveries then he could have got to his second double century. It was then that the former India opener subtly mentioned his 2011 feat against West Indies at the Holkar Stadium when he had scored 219. While also mentioning Rohit Sharma’s record of three double tons, he stressed on the fact that the Indore track gives batters the chance to go for such big knocks and opined that it was a missed opportunity.
“When you are in form and you are scoring runs then don’t throw your wicket away. When he got out, there were 18 overs still remaining. Had he played for 9-10 overs more he could have completed his second double hundred. Rohit Sharma scored three double hundreds. He had the opportunity today. A 200 has been scored at this venue by a player named Sehwag, because it is that sort of a track,” he said.