Shubman Gill has scored the most runs of anyone in history after 50 ODI innings, with his meteoric rise suggestive of a fulfilling career ahead. However, limited 50-over games could prevent him from truly establishing himself as an all-time great in the format, writes Sarah Waris.
A net session was all it took for Shubman Gill to pass the eye test back in 2019. A year after playing a pivotal part for India in the Under-19 World Cup, Gill edged past the better-known Prithvi Shaw to make his ODI debut in New Zealand, coming into the XI as an injury replacement for then-skipper Virat Kohli.
Batting at No.3, Gill could manage just 9 and 7 in the two ODIs that he had played, but it was enough to win high praise from Kohli, who touted him as a future superstar. “I saw him bat in the nets and I was like ‘Wow! I was not even 10% of that when I was 19,” he said. “That’s the confidence that they carry and it is great for Indian cricket if the standard keeps going up and the guys coming in can make impact performances straight away.”
Coming from a batting monster in his prime, there was danger that his words would pile up unnecessary pressure on the youngster. But, six years later, there is a sense of calmness every time Gill walks out to bat in one-dayers, arguably his best format. A traditionalist, who looks to eliminate risk and minimise the dot-ball percentage, Gill relies on timing and finding the gaps as much as possible instead of over-hitting the ball. With the lines blurring between the three formats and each batter trying to adopt a similar approach across them, Gill stands out for his textbook-style batting and clarity of thought.
A career glittered with records
Gill’s meteoric start further adds fuel to his ODI credentials. He has played 50 ODIs, making 2,587 runs at an average of 60.16 with seven hundreds and 15 fifties. He has beaten Hashim Amla to score the most runs after 50 ODI innings, and also has the highest average among all batters with a minimum of 2,000 runs in their first 50 games. He also has the second-highest average among all batters with a minimum of 20 innings played.
The fastest player to 2,000 ODI runs, Gill is also the only batter who averages over 55 and have a strike rate above 100. Only five other batters have needed fewer innings to score their first seven ODI hundreds, one of which was also a blistering double hundred that all-but sealed his place for the 2023 World Cup.
The 25-year-old Gill fell just 310 runs short of overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most runs in a calendar year in 2023: He ended with 1,584 runs, scoring five hundreds in 29 innings, but a lean World Cup, which was also down to his dengue diagnosis during the competition, saw him narrowly miss out. The fact that only five other batters - Sachin Tendulkar (twice), Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Matthew Hayden and Saeed Anwar - have made more than 1,500 runs in a calendar year despite the increased number of ODIs previously, suggests the kind of manic year it was for him. That Gill had played only 15 ODIs before the start of the year made it even more sensational.
But that is also what could come in the way of him truly touching the echelons of greatness. Gill has played only six ODIs since the end of the World Cup, and his 50 outings being spread across six years. That’s roughly just over eight games a year, the number higher due to the number of matches India played in 2023, the World Cup year. He has never played more than 12 matches in a year barring that, in 2022 when he also scored his maiden ODI ton, three years after his debut.
ODIs are struggling to stay afloat, with Tests still regarded as the pinnacle and T20Is as the primary crowd-puller. The logistical challenges surrounding the format have further raised concerns about its future, with an increase in matches only during ICC event years. Following the Champions Trophy, India are scheduled to play nine more ODIs this year, with the number rising to 18 in 2026 as the 2027 World Cup approaches. While this appears significant in the current context, it pales in comparison to previous eras. For instance, between 2010 and 2019, Virat Kohli played 20 or more ODIs in seven different years, which not only helped him maintain momentum across the series but also allowed him to carry his ODI form into other formats.
For Gill, the challenge will be to make the most of the limited ODIs available and deliver consistently. He may not even feature in all of them, as Test regulars are often rested for ODI series on all-format tours, something that is likely to happen when India travel to South Africa next year.
While Gill’s current trajectory suggests he could have had an illustrious ODI career, the decreasing number of matches in the format may prevent him from achieving statistical greatness. Assuming Gill maintains his current average of 60.16, it would need 123 more games for him to breach the 10,000-run mark in the format. Assuming Gill plays 12 matches on average a year, that would be another 10 years. Even reaching 8,000 runs would require around 90 more games at the same pace. While not unrealistic considering age is also on his side, maintaining the same consistency for over a decade will not be easy.
Gill will likely have three more World Cups to play and winning a trophy would certainly bolster his credentials and elevate him into the league of ODI greats. However, if India’s ODI calendar continues to shrink, not just for Gill but for the format as a whole, achieving legendary status in ODIs might soon require more than just numbers. It will ultimately come down to the defining moments on the biggest stage.
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