The shot of the day in Kolkata Knight Riders’ Qualifier 2 victory over Delhi Capitals came courtesy of Shubman Gill’s bat off the bowling of Anrich Nortje.
Gill played a classy, mature knock at the top of the order that belied his years as KKR qualified for their first IPL final in seven years. Gill, 21, hit a run-a-ball 46 as KKR chased down 136 with one ball to spare to set up the final against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings.
On a slow and at times unpredictable Sharjah surface, Gill was superb. The most obvious demonstration of his immense talent was a shot he played off Nortje in the sixteenth over of the run chase. Nortje, one of the standout bowlers in the tournament, sent down an 89.85mph bouncer that Gill calmly dispatched for six, effectively off the front foot, over long-on.
Gill couldn’t quite take his team over the line himself – he was dismissed by Avesh Khan with 11 runs still needed for victory – but his knock was enough to ensure that KKR made the final.
You can watch the shot below:
