Shubman Gill smashed a tennis forehand-like shot during his 129-run knock against Mumbai Indians to stun Rohit, and commentators Gavaskar and Bishop.
Gujarat Titans opener Shubman Gill produced a magnificent batting display on Friday night, as he smashed 129 off just 60 deliveries to steer the side to a 62-run win over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 Qualifier 2. The win secured Titans a place in the final of the 2023 Indian Premier League, where they will take on the Chennai Super Kings. The young opener smashed 10 sixes and seven fours en route to the record-breaking knock in Ahmedabad – Gill’s 129 is now the highest individual score in IPL playoffs history.
Gill smashed the MI bowlers all around the park in a dazzling display strokeplay; he hit Akash Madhwal for three sixes in an over that – in his own words – set him up for a big score in the game. However, there was one shot in the 17th over of the innings against Cameron Green that left even Rohit Sharma absolutely stunned, as he looked visibly dumbstruck.
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As Green bowled a short-pitched delivery, Gill charged down the track and played an almost tennis forehand-like slap shot over deep midwicket for a crazy six, leaving even the on-air commentators Ian Bishop and Sunil Gavaskar bewildered. The latter termed it a “tennis” shot, saying, “It’s a parallel six! It’s almost like a tennis shot!”
“Oh glorious, my goodness,” exclaimed Bishop seeing Gill’s breathtaking shot
VIDEO: Shubman Gill’s tennis forehand-like slap shot leaves Rohit dumbfounded; Gavaskar, Bishop in absolute awe
This was Gill’s third century in the 2023 season; en route his knock, he also crossed the 800-run mark in this year’s edition, becoming only the third player in the history of the tournament to do so (after Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler). Justifiably, Gill is currently the highest run-scorer in IPL 2023, and is likely to end the season with the Orange Cap. The closest to him among the remaining teams in the season is Devon Conway of the Chennai Super Kings, who has 625 runs to his name so far.
Gill was eventually dismissed in the 17th over of the innings by Madhwal, and walked off to a standing ovation from the fans, as well as the Titans dugout.
The final of the edition takes place on May 28, when the Titans will be aiming to settle scores with the Super Kings; MS Dhoni’s men had registered a 15-run win over GT in the first qualifier earlier this week.