‘I abused Ishan Kishan, fought with him…’: Shubman Gill reveals pre-match banter after double century vs New Zealand
Indian opener Shubman Gill fashioned Team India’s impressive win over New Zealand in the high-scoring contest at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Days after his teammate Ishan Kishan slammed a stunning double century in Bangladesh, Indian opener Gill became bettered the left-hander by becoming the fastest to the landmark in ODIs at the age of 23.
Gill smashed a blistering 208 off 149 balls in the 1st ODI between the 2019 World Cup semi-finalists. Gill’s sublime knock powered India to 349/8 in the 50-over contest. The Indian opener was named the Player of the Match for his majestic innings that was laced with 19 fours and 9 sixes against the top-ranked ODI side. Speaking at the post-match ceremony, the Indian opener gave Kishan a special mention.
When asked about joining Kishan in the elite club of double century-makers, Gill told sports presenter Harsha Bhogle that the Indian wicketkeeper-batter is one of his best friends. “He (Kishan) is one of my best mates. I was there when he scored his ODI double-hundred and it was special. It feels nice when you want to do something and it is coming off regularly. Definitely a sense of satisfaction. It (double ton) has sunk in pretty well. The game went much closer than I expected,” Gill said.
Gill was not a part of the ODI squad but the right-hander was there in the dressing room as part of the Test match when Kishan smashed the double century in the last ODI.
After Gill’s heroics on Wednesday, he was joined by India captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan for a chat. The video of the candid conversation was shared by BCCI in which the right-hander from Punjab revealed how roommate Kishan irritates on the eve of the match.
Here’s how the conversation between Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma went
Ishan Kishan: “I have a question for him) What was your pre-match routine?”
Rohit Sharma: (Interrupting) “You should know that as you guys stay in the same room…”
Shubman Gill: “He (Kishan) spoils my entire pre-match routine as he doesn’t let me sleep. He doesn’t use earphones and watches movie in full volume. Isko main gaali deke bolta hu bhai awaz kam kar le ya earphones laga le. Par ye bolta hai ‘tu mere room mein so raha hai. Meri marzi se chalega. Har roz ladai hoti hai. (I abuse him and ask him to turn down the volume but he says it is his room and the rules will be according to him. I fight with him daily). This is my pre-match.”
Ishan Kishan: “I think it is because you slept in my room, you scored my runs.”
Rohit Sharma: “Just to let you know guys. These two are real buddies. They’ve been playing cricket together since ages. They go back a long way. They’ve got great camaraderie.”
Becoming the fifth Indian batter to slam a double ton in men’s ODI cricket, Gill also surpassed batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and became the highest individual run-getter against New Zealand in the 50-over format. Master Blaster Tendulkar had played an unbeaten knock of 186 against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999. The 23-year-old is the youngest batter to register a double hundred in the 50-over format. Opener Gill is also the fastest Indian to complete 1,000 runs in ODI cricket.
“I was waiting eagerly to go out and do what I want to do. With wickets falling, at times I wanted to unleash and I’m glad I could do it at the end. Sometimes when the bowler is on top, you need to make them feel pressure. Need to avoid dot balls, show some intent and hit hard into the gaps. Which is what I was doing. Wasn’t really thinking of 200, but once I hit sixes in the 47th over, I did feel that I could. Before that, I was playing what was coming to me,” Gill said after India’s 12-run win over the Black Caps.