In the 2023 IPL Qualifier 2, Shubman Gill of Gujarat Titans displayed remarkable heroics. The young opener smashed a sensational 129 off 60 balls, including seven fours and ten sixes, setting a new record for the most sixes in IPL playoffs. His exceptional performance helped GT amass a colossal total of 233 runs in just 20 overs. Despite the notable contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (61 off 38) and Tilak Varma (43 off 14), Mumbai Indians fell short, managing only 171 runs in 18.2 overs. Mohit Sharma proved instrumental for GT, taking an astounding five-wicket haul while conceding a mere ten runs in 2.2 overs. Suresh Raina lauded Gill’s calmness in a high-stakes match, emphasizing his spectacular “pick-up shots” for sixes.
“The calmness we saw. In such a big match, body language is very important. The sixes he hit later in the match, ones we call pick-up shots. He hit one off Kartikeya, and after that, he realized that he can come into the line and just hit pick-up shots,”
Raina said.
Raina compares Gill to legendary Indian players
In further praise, Suresh Raina, known as ‘Mr. IPL,’ commended Shubman Gill’s batting with admiration for his body language, self-confidence, and self-belief. Drawing comparisons to cricket stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Raina predicted Gill’s ability to deliver in crucial matches for India.
“I loved his body language, his self-confidence, self-belief, and he’s gotten a habit of playing in big matches. Just look at Virat Kohli, as we saw last year with Jos Buttler. But the performance we saw tonight, whenever we have big games, he will perform as Virat, Rohit, and MS Dhoni have,”
Raina further added.
In the upcoming final of the 16th edition, GT will take on CSK, the four-time IPL champions. Having faced each other twice this season, CSK emerged victorious in the first encounter, while GT fell short in Qualifier 1, allowing CSK to secure their spot in the final.
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