Dubai, Feb 21 After Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten century to inspire a six-wicket win in India's Group A Champions Trophy fixture against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy, former India cricketer Piyush Chawla lavished praise on the opener's mindset and said the right-hander knows when he has to hold back and when to play responsibly.
The Indian opener continued his rich vein of form, amassing 101 not out off 129 deliveries, laced with nine fours and two sixes. This was Gill's slowest ODI hundred as he was tested thoroughly by Bangladesh’s bowlers on a sluggish pitch with no dew around.
"It was an impressive knock because it wasn’t the easiest pitch to bat on. When you’re chasing around 230 runs on such a surface, you need someone to stay till the end, and that’s exactly what Shubman Gill did. A player of his calibre, who is in such good form, knows when to hold back and play responsibly. That’s what makes him such an important player for this Indian team. He understands the situation and what the team needs at any given time," Chawla said on JioHotstar.
Chasing 229, he played a vital part in keeping India steady, stitching a crucial partnership of 87 runs to see the game through alongside KL Rahul (41 not out) after losing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel.
"There were phases where he didn’t even try to hit a boundary - just rotating the strike with singles and doubles - because that was what the team required at that moment. That is the sign of a mature player.
"Now that he is the vice-captain as well, you expect him to embrace that role, and he did just that. At one point, India was in a tricky situation, having lost a few wickets. But the way he anchored the innings and stayed till the end was very, very impressive," he added.
The win in Dubai takes India to the second spot in Group A with two points, as many as New Zealand, who have a better run-rate and sit atop the points table.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their next fixture on Sunday at the same venue. Bangladesh, on the other hand, will lock horns with New Zealand in Rawalpindi next week.
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