CHENNAI: It was the fourth ball of the ninth over during India's chase against Bangladesh. Shubman Gill was facing Tanzim Hasan and in came a back-of-the-length delivery. Gill stood tall on his front foot, swiping across the line to send the ball into the midwicket stands of the Dubai International Stadium.
It might not read as much here, that six from Gill was an early contender for shot of the tournament. The kind that you would want to make a GIF out of and play it on loop. The ridiculousness of the shot was acknowledged by his captain as Rohit Sharma looked down with a shrug and wry smile.
If one had followed Gill's international career till this point, it would be a no-brainer to say that ODIs are his best format. Not just because of his appetite for runs that was drilled into him at a very young age by his father. But also because of the ease with which he has been able to construct an innings in this format. He was the highest run-getter in ODIs during the 2023 calendar year. He has been the best batter for India in the format, and now, is also the No 1 ranked batter in the world.
While there is no doubt about any of the aforementioned facts, his century against Bangladesh elevated him to the next level. Unlike the previous six centuries he has scored as an opener, this one was different. Off the six hundreds, five of them have came while batting first on flat tracks where India went on to post massive totals. The one against Bangladesh during the 2023 Asia Cup was his first during a chase, but India did not get across the line.
On Thursday, against the same opposition, Gill rose to the occasion. On a pitch that had slowed down, with stroke-making becoming difficult as the innings progressed, Gill looked at home. Not for a moment did he look out of place or struggle to adjust according to the pace of the delivery. The way he adapted to the spinners in particular told the story. According to CricViz, data analysing platform, Gill put away his stepping out to spinners approach, doing it just once in 55 balls on Thursday. This is in contrast to his overall career where he does so 7 per cent of the time.
It would not be an understatement to say that this knock could well be the one that pushes Gill to the horizon of being a match-winner. It might not have been as flashy as Virat Kohli's 133 not out against Sri Lanka in Hobart, but the sedate unbeaten 101 could be the beginning of something special from Gill. Where he wins the match for India all by himself like Rohit and Kohli have over the past decade.
And Gill knows it too. "Definitely one of my most satisfying innings that I have played. The message was sent from outside that I have to try to bat till the end and that's what I tried to do," he told the broadcasters.
Given the direction in which the ODI format is going, Gill might not end up playing as many games as his predecessors. However, from hereon, every time he takes the field in a 50-over game, he will be expected to deliver. And that can only be a good thing for Gill and India.