Shubman Gill, the opener for Gujarat Titans (GT), experienced an uncommon setback when he was out for a duck on the second ball against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on Saturday, April 22. The dismissal happened off Krunal Pandya’s bowling in the second over of the innings when Gill was caught at long-off after chipping the delivery. Despite being in top form this season in international cricket and having an average of 38 at a strike rate of 138.18 in the IPL, many fans took this opportunity to label Gill as a flat-track bully.
Here are some of the reactions from fans on Twitter:
Overrated player
Shubman Gill 0(2) pic.twitter.com/9ERoYAzb5A— GURMEET???? (@gur_meet_47) April 22, 2023
Shubman Gill is one of the top in-form batters in the world, with an average of over 60 in 18 innings across formats in 2023. He impressed with outstanding performances in the recent ODI and T20 series against New Zealand, including a double century in the first ODI in Hyderabad and a century in the T20 series decider. Gill also shone in the final test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, scoring a brilliant century and helping India win the series 2-1.
“Shubman Gill is already in the Sachin-Virat league”: Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden, the former Australian opener, had high praise for Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Shubman Gill, predicting that he will become one of the top names in world cricket. Hayden, who has observed players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli up close, put Gill on the same level. In an interview with TOI, the former Australian star said:
“Shubman is already in the Sachin-Virat league. World cricket needs heroes and he has everything in his game that will help him achieve those heights. He will be one of those icon players for the next 10-15 years.”
Matthew Hayden had a successful stint with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first three years of the IPL, scoring over 1,000 runs with an average of 36.90 and a strike rate of 137.52. He also had an impressive international career, amassing over 14,000 runs and 40 centuries. Shubman Gill played a crucial role in Gujarat Titans’ IPL title win last year, contributing 483 runs with an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of 132.33.