IND vs NZ: Gill creates history, joins Kohli & Raina records

Gill, who took 54 balls to rush to his century, turned out to be simply the fifth Indian to hit hundreds across all organizations of the game, joining Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and KL Rahul.

Shubman Gill, who recently scored a stunning double century against New Zealand, continued his destructive play in the T20Is and scored his first century in the format against the Black Caps in the series decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Gill, who took 54 balls to reach his century, joined Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and KL Rahul as the fifth Indian to score hundreds in all formats.

As a result, Gill became the youngest Indian to score a century in a Twenty20 International match, surpassing Suresh Raina’s record. In comparison to Raina, who scored 101 against South Africa in 2010 at the age of 23 and 156 days, Gill reached the milestone in 23 years and 146 days.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, India posted a massive 234/4 with Gill remaining unbeaten on 126 off just 63 balls. This is India’s highest T20I score ever against New Zealand.

Gill’s century added another feather to his cap, proving his dominance. The opener for India now holds the record for the highest individual score in a T20I, surpassing the previous record held by Virat Kohli just a few months ago with 126. Kohli, a former captain of India, set a record by scoring 122 runs off 61 balls in his maiden T20I century against Afghanistan at the Asia Cup 2022, which only lasted 146 days.

Throughout his innings, Gill was unrelenting

Gill made his intentions clear in the third over, cracking Lockie Ferguson for 11 runs after scoring only two boundaries in the first two overs. In the subsequent match, he was even more brutal, breaking Blair Tickner’s boundaries three times. Gill waited his turn at the other end as Rahul Tripathi became the aggressor, but once the No. Gill was free to go all out because three batters died.

#Gill #subhmangill 💯💥#IndvsNZ 💯
Highest T20 Scorer 126(63) 💯💥 pic.twitter.com/OjBPPhPcY0

— Rakesh ᴬᴸᴸ ᴴᴬᴵᴸ ᵀᴴᴱ ᵀᴵᴳᴱᴿ🌊 (@RakeshNTR999) February 1, 2023

Between overs 10 and 14, Gill only hit one four and one six. Gill, on the other hand, went into overdrive when captain Hardik Pandya arrived to keep Suryakumar Yadav company after his 12-ball, 24-run cameo. He raced into the 90s by hitting sixes off Ben Lister, two more maximums, and a four off Ticker. Gill reached the three-figure mark with a fantastic cover drive off Ferguson, but he didn’t stop there. He scored 17 off the final over, enabling India to easily surpass the 200-mark and more.

ALSO READ: Wishing a happy birthday to Shoaib Malik!

Gill realized that if Ishan Kishan’s poor streak of scores continued, it would be his night to shine. He got a lot of help from Tripathi, who got to 44 in 24 balls and hit four boundaries and three sixes in a very entertaining innings. Gill had excellent partnerships with everyone, including an 80 against Tripathi, a quick 38 against Sky, and an explosive 103 against Hardik in just 41 balls.

The fastest bowler in New Zealand, Ferguson, was bowled out for 54 in four overs, and Tickner was bowled out for 50 in three overs. In contrast to the previous two matches, India cruised to their fifth-highest T20I total. NZ suggested as many as seven bowlers.