Watch: In the third ODI against New Zealand, Shubman Gill played some exquisite shots to take 22 runs in an over from Lockie Ferguson.
Having already conceded an unassailable 0-2 lead in the three-match series, New Zealand asked India to bat in the final match of the series, at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. India captain Rohit Sharma – without an ODI hundred under his belt since the global pandemic lockd0wn – got up and running on the scoreboard immediately, as did Gill, who became the youngest player to score a men’s ODI double-hundred earlier in the series.
India raced to 42-0 in seven overs, despite a probing spell from Ferguson probing at one end. Until this point in the innings, Ferguson had impressive figures of 3-1-6-0.
The first ball of the eighth over was neither too wide, nor too short, but Gill watched it intently and drilled it past mid-off for four. Ferguson got back at Gill by beating his outside edge with his next delivery, but Gill merely responded by steering the third ball of the over some distance to the left of the valiant effort of the fielder at deep third man and to the boundary.
In what was probably an attempt to york his former Gujarat Titans teammate, Ferguson followed up with a full-toss, which Gill caressed it to the extra-cover fence.
Running out of ideas on the small ground, Ferguson bowled next bowled short. Gill uppercut him for six – though, to be fair, it might have been four on most other venues. The last ball was probably not quite as short, but Gill cut it past extra-cover to take the aggregate for the over to 22. “It’s raining boundaries and sixes here,” exclaimed Ravi Shastri on air. By the end of the over, Gill had raced to 41 off 24 balls, leaving Rohit behind on 21.
Rohit eventually ended his drought of hundreds, bringing up his 30th ODI century. He was eventually bowled by Michael Bracewell for an 85-ball 101. Gill got the fourth hundred soon afterwards before Blair Tickner got him for an 78-ball 113.
