Tag: Shubman Gill

DUBAI: Indian opening batter Shubman Gill has claimed a career-best second position, only behind Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.

Shubman Gill has scored 154 runs, with the help of two half-centuries in the ongoing ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 and has been rewarded in the latest ICC ODI Rankings, jumping one spot to reach the second position.

Indian opener has closed the gap at the top down to only 103 rating points now with Babar Azam leading with 863 rating points, while Gill with 759 points.

Along with Shubman Gill, India’s captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli also improved their rankings after India’s dominant batting display in the Asia Cup 2023, which cruised them to the final without a single defeat in the tournament.

Kohli and Sharma jumped two spots to reach eighth position and ninth position in the latest ODI batting rankings respectively.

One the other hand, Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq dropped one place to fifth and fellow opener Fakhar Zaman lost three spots and is now sitting at 10th spot.

Meanwhile, in the ICC ODI Bowling Rankings, Pakistani pace bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah made substantial gains after their impressive performance in the Asia Cup 2023.

Haris Rauf is the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets, consequently jumping eight places to reach 21st position, while Naseem Shah picked seven wickets and jumped 11 spots to 51st.

Indian left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who is also the joint-highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2023, bore fruits for his performances and rose five places to reach the seventh spot.

Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood solidified his position at the pinnacle of ODI Bowling Rankings after a three-wicket haul in the first match of their ongoing series with South Africa.

READ: Asia Cup 2023: Zaman Khan links up with Pakistan squad in Colombo

COLOMBO: Indian opener Shubman Gill heaped praise on Pakistan skipper Babar Azam ahead of the high-octane Pakistan vs India Super 4 clash in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 on Sunday.

Describing Babar Azam, who is the No.1 ranked ODI batter currently, as a “world-class” batter, Shubman Gill said they follow his batting style and admire him.

“Yes, definitely we follow him. When a player is doing well. Everyone watches him to find out why they are doing so good, what their specialty is. The same thing goes for Babar. He is a world-class player and we all do admire him,” the right-handed batter told reporters on the eve of the Pakistan vs India Super 4 match in Colombo.

Babar Azam began the Asia Cup 2023 campaign with a 151 against Nepal in the group stage in Multan. He did not get to bat against India after which he got out against Bangladesh in Lahore in a Super Fours match which Pakistan won by 7 wickets.

Babar has been leading Pakistan well in Asia Cup 2023 and the former champions are considered one of the favourites to win the continental tournament.

Babar is the No. 1 batter in ICC Men’s ODI rankings and the right-hander has been in fine form in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup in India.

Having scored over 5300 runs, including 19 ODI hundreds, in just 106 matches, Babar has established himself as one of the modern-day greats in the limited-overs format of the game with an average of 59 in ODIs.

‘Quality bowling attack’

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill also spoke highly of the Pakistan pace-bowling attack, highlighting that India batters needed time to get used to the left-arm pace.

Notably, the top-order failed in the Group A match against Pakistan as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were out early to Shaheen Shah Afridi, who got the ball moving both ways. Shubman Gill struggled for his 32-ball 10 before he was castled by Haris Rauf.

Asked about India’s troubles dealing with the strong Pakistan pace attack, Gill said it has a lot to do with the unfamiliarity factor.

“When you are playing at this level, you play left-armer pacers previously at some point in your career. We do not play Pakistan that much as compared to the other sides. They have a quality bowling attack. When you do not face such a bowling attack frequently and are not used to it, it makes a difference,” he said.

Gill then explained why the Pakistan fast bowlers are making such an impact.

“They are very different fast bowlers and they have their own specialities. Shaheen Shah gets the ball to swing a lot. Naseem Shah is all about pace and likes help from the wicket. They present different challenges in different conditions,” said Gill.

Gill said that Indian batters will have to dominate, unlike last time when the top order was blown away for 66. “As openers, we need to make a good start and dominate them from the beginning,” Gill said.

READ: Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan name Playing XI for blockbuster India clash

DUBAI: India’s batting prodigy Shubman Gill climbed two spots and moved within touching distance to Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman in the latest ICC ODI Batting Rankings.

Shubman Gill, who enjoyed an excellent campaign in the three-match ODI series against West Indies, got the reward of his brilliance as the right-handed batter achieved career-high rating points (743) and moved closer to Fakhar and Imam in ICC ODI Batting Rankings.

Fakhar (755) and Imam (745) are ranked third and fourth in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings respectively.

Gill’s fellow Ishan Kishan also jumped nine places to reach 36th rank in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings with 589 points after scoring 184 runs in the series against West Indies.

The recent ICC ODI bowling rankings saw Kuldeep Yadav jumping four places to reach the 10th spot after taking seven wickets in the series against the West Indies.

Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur, who took eight wickets in the series and was the leading wicket-taker in the series, moved up three places to 30th.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who led the Indian side in the series rose five places to acquire 11th position in ODI all-rounders ranking.

West Indian players did not enjoy the same success in the ODI series and subsequent gains in rankings as their Indian counterparts, however, they showed good performances in the T20I series and were thus rewarded in ICC T20I rankings.

West Indies explosive batter Nicholas Pooran rose six places to reach the 14th spot in the ICC T20I batting rankings, while Rovman Powell earned the 32nd spot after jumping 17 places.

Meanwhile, pace bowler Alzarri Joseph took a giant stride in the ICC T20I bowling rankings to reach 13th position after climbing 19 spots, whereas left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein rose to the 14th position after jumping six places.

READ: ICC reschedules India-Pakistan World Cup fixture

AHMEDABAD: Shubman Gill’s sparkling century and an unbeaten 59 by Virat Kohli kept India strong in their first innings reply against a persistent Australian spin attack in the fourth Test on Saturday.

India reached 289-3 at stumps, still trailing Australia’s 480 by 191 runs on day three at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

Gill stood out with his 128 — the opener’s second Test ton — as he built key partnerships including a 113-run stand for the second wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara, who made 42.

Spinners kept coming back with wickets as Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy took one each on a pitch favouring the batsmen.

The 23-year-old Gill, who replaced a struggling KL Rahul in the third Test, hit 12 fours and one big six in a good show of batting to surpass his previous Test best of 110.

He finally fell lbw to Lyon’s off spin in the final session before Kohli took charge along with the left-handed Ravindra Jadeja, on 16, to see off the day’s play.

Kohli reached his first Test half-century since January 2022 after a jittery start to his innings when he got off the mark on the 12th ball.

Australia delayed taking the second new ball, available to the fielding side after the 80th over, by 14 overs.

Earlier Gill overcame a tough spell of run-making in the second session to raise his ton with a fine sweep off Murphy, taking a bow as the raucous weekend crowd applauded, but lost his partner Pujara four balls later.

Murphy trapped Pujara lbw, ending a stand which prospered after skipper Rohit Sharma fell to Kuhnemann’s left-arm spin for 35 in the morning session.

Australia’s stand-in-skipper Steve Smith rotated his bowlers, who remained disciplined in their line and length to test the batsmen’s patience for much of the hot afternoon.

Gill broke the shackles with two successive boundaries off Cameron Green to bring the crowd alive with delightful cover drives.

India started the day on 36-0 and kept attacking.

Mitchell Starc bowled to plan with his short balls and a heavy leg-side field, but Rohit took on the challenge as he smashed the left-arm quick for a four and a six at long leg.

The pitch has been vastly different from the viciously spinning tracks in the previous three Tests and Usman Khawaja made Australia take early advantage with his 180.

India lead the four-match series 2-1 after Australia won the third Test.

The hosts need a win to clinch the series and secure a berth in the World Test Championship final in June.

READ: Quetta Gladiators’ PSL 8 playoff qualification scenario explained

DUBAI: India’s young batting sensation Shubman Gill has been awarded ICC Player of the Month for January 2023 after his scintillating form across formats last month.

“Nominated alongside New Zealand’s Devon Conway and fellow countryman Mohammed Siraj, Gill bagged the honours for a brilliant run in white-ball cricket in January,” said ICC on its website.

The right-handed batter smashed a double century last month in the first ODI of the three-game series against New Zealand in Hyderabad. He scored 209 off 149 balls in the nail-biting thriller which India won by 12 runs.

He then went on to score 40 not out and 112 in the other two matches and accumulated 360 runs in the series to become the joint-highest run-scorer in a three-game ODI series alongside Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam, who set this record against West Indies back in 2016.

The 23-year-old also recorded his maiden T20 century in the previous month when he hit an unbeaten 126 to help India clinch the T20 International series against Kiwis with a crushing 168-run victory in the decider.

READ: Bowlers storm NZ to give South Africa statement win in Women’s T20 WC

AHMEDABAD: Opener Shubman Gill smashed an unbeaten 126 to help India clinch the T20 international series against New Zealand with a crushing 168-run victory in the decider on Wednesday.

Gill recorded his maiden T20 century for India as he steered the team to 234-4 after they elected to bat first at the world’s biggest cricket ground in Ahmedabad.

Indian bowlers skittled out the Kiwis for a paltry 66 in 12.1 overs for a 2-1 series win. The hosts had whitewashed the Kiwis in three one-day matches.

The huge victory was India’s biggest ever in T20 internationals and the biggest margin by runs in a match played between two Test-playing nations.

India elected to bat first on a batting-friendly pitch and Gill continued his magnificent run of form — hitting 12 fours and seven sixes in his 63-ball innings.

He had also put the New Zealand bowling to the sword with a double hundred and a ton during the ODI series.

Gill put on 103 runs for the fourth wicket with skipper Hardik Pandya, who made 30 and then took four wickets with his pace bowling, at the 132,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium.

Off-spinner Michael Bracewell struck early as he trapped Ishan Kishan lbw for one in the second over of the innings.

Gill, 23, hit back with a flurry of boundaries including three in one over off Blair Tickner. Rahul Tripathi, who made 44, joined the charge as the two put on 80 runs.

Tripathi smashed three sixes including one off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi only to hole out next ball in another attempt to clear the ropes.

Gill, who became only the fifth Indian batsman to record centuries across all three formats, found another attacking partner in Suryakumar Yadav who smashed 24 off 13 balls as the two kept up the onslaught.

Tickner cut short Suryakumar’s stay with Bracewell taking a sharp catch at mid-on.

But the unstoppable Gill changed gears and raised his ton off 54 balls with a boundary as he took off his helmet and let off a roar.

New Zealand made a horrendous start to their mammoth chase as they lost their top four for just seven runs inside three overs as Arshdeep Singh struck twice in the second over of the innings.

Suryakumar took two spectacular catches at first slip off Pandya’s pace bowling to send back Finn Allen, for three, and Glenn Phillips, for two.

Tearaway quick Umran Malik bowled Bracewell before Daryl Mitchell, who made 35, and skipper Mitchell Santner attempted to resist.

Arshdeep, Umran and Shivam Mavi took two wickets each.

India will now head into the hotly-anticipated four-Test series against Australia starting February 9 in Nagpur.

READ: PCB announces selection committees for men’s senior and U19 teams 

DUBAI: Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj claimed the No.1 spot on the ICC ODI bowlers rankings for the very first time following his sensational run in recent home matches against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

After India topped the ODI team rankings following a 3-0 series sweep over New Zealand, Indian players also made giant strides on the ICC ODI players rankings.

In the latest players rankings update, released by the International Cricket Council on Wednesday, Siraj dethroned New Zealand seamer Trent Boult from the no.1 spot on the ODI bowlers’ list with a narrow lead over second-placed Australia’s Josh Hazlewood

Witnessing a dip in his ratings, Boult went down to the third place with 708 points, while Hazlewood retained his position with only two points behind Siraj’s 729.

Meanwhile, in-form Indian batter Shubmann Gill made a staggering jump of 20 spots to sixth overall on the ODI batters’ list following a spectacular double hundred and a century against New Zealand at home.

Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam, however, continued to rule the ODI batting rankings, followed by South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen and Quinton De Kock on second and third, respectively.

Coming back to Siraj, his remarkable rise in ODI cricket last year also earned him a place in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year, announced on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old has collected 37 wickets from 20 matches since February 2022, when he returned to India’s ODI set-up after three years hiatus.

READ: Namibia captain Erasmus named Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year

 

HYDERABAD: Shubman Gill scored a brilliant 208 as India held on to beat New Zealand by 12 runs in the first one-day international in Hyderabad on Wednesday despite a blistering century from Michael Bracewell.

India looked to be coasting to victory with New Zealand in deep trouble at 131-6 while chasing 350 after opener Gill made just the 10th double hundred in ODI history.

“Watching Gill bat is fantastic, clean striking and no aerial shots. He’s such a free-flowing batsman,” said India captain Rohit Sharma.

All-rounder Bracewell responded by making 140 off 78 balls before falling in the final over when he was pinned leg before wicket by Shardul Thakur.

“To be honest, the way Bracewell was batting, we knew it was going to be a challenge,” added Rohit.

Disciplined early spells by India fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj restricted New Zealand before Bracewell’s late fireworks gave them hope of a sensational win.

“Bracewell’s was an amazing innings. The situation of the game and then play an innings like that… to put us in that situation was outstanding,” said New Zealand skipper Tom Latham.

“Disappointing to not get across the line.”

Finn Allen struck a breezy 40 at the top of the order but New Zealand were facing a heavy defeat once Siraj removed Latham for the sixth wicket.

Bracewell was then joined by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who hit 57 of 45 balls as part of an impressive 162-run partnership before falling to Siraj.

Bracewell smacked 12 fours and 10 sixes but finished on the losing side as Siraj was the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 4-46.

Earlier, the 23-year-old Gill helped India post a formidable total of 349-8 after an innings spanning 149 balls and featuring 19 fours and nine sixes.

Rohit was the first man out for 34 and Virat Kohli soon followed for just eight after he was bowled by Santner.

Ishan Kishan, who made 210 last month against Bangladesh, was removed cheaply by Lockie Ferguson but Gill received timely support from Suryakumar Yadav (31) and Hardik Pandya (28).

He hit three straight sixes off Ferguson to bring up his double century before holing out to deep mid-wicket in the final over.

“I wasn’t thinking about 200 before I hit those sixes in the (49th) over. That’s when I thought I could get a double,” said Gill.

“I won’t call it a ‘wow’ feeling but it feels nice when the ball goes off the bat how you want it. There’s certainly a feeling of satisfaction.

“It has sunk in pretty well, this is certainly one of those things, like what dreams are made of.”

READ: Jansen’s heroics lead Sunrisers to close win over MI Cape Town in SA20