Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has paised star batter Shubman Gill for the latter's knock of 121 against Bangladesh in the Super 4 game of Asia Cup 2023 on Friday. However, he also pointed out that the shot to which Gill got out was a "bad" one. After getting hit for a six, Bangladesh spinner Mahedi Hasan tossed the ball up and away from Gill. The batter chased the ball and played a lofted shot on it, however, he failed to clear the long-off fielder.
Gill gave an awesome display of his talent while registering his fifth ODI hundred, but Bangladesh managed to eke out an unexpected win over India in Colombo on Friday.
Gill's 121 off 133 balls was exceptional. But it was not enough to drag India past Bangladesh's 265 for 8, built around fifties by Shakib Al Hasan (80) and Towhid Hridoy (54) after they were put into bat.
India were bowled out for 259. Axar (42 off 34 balls) tried gamely to bring India back into the game with some heavy blows, but the target stayed just beyond India's grasp.
But in the tournament's context, the result did not matter as India had already entered the final. They will face Sri Lanka on Sunday. But the night belonged to Gill, despite the end result.
Gill's batting is all about timing and minimalism. He pulls but not with the flourish of Rohit Sharma, and he drives but not with the flair of Virat Kohli. But Gill lends his own aesthetics and grace to his game.
(With PTI Inputs)