'When he bats, it seems he is million-dollar' - Aakash Chopra lauds Shubman Gill for his maiden fifty in ODIs

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has heaped praises on Shubman Gill for the way he batted in the first ODI against West Indies and gave a perfect start for the Indian side. Gill had last played an ODI in 2020 against Australia before coming into this series, and he was a surprise pick in the squad against West Indies. With Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan in the squad, Gill was expected to be benched, which did not happen.

The right-hander opened the innings alongside skipper Shikhar Dhawan and stitched a 119-run partnership for the first wicket. Gill was the aggressor among the two, and he took on the bowling from the start. The 22-year-old scored a 53-ball 64, which included six fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 120.75. It could not have been a better return to the ODI setup for Gill, who looked in supreme touch with the bat.

In my opinion, it was a century missed: Aakash Chopra

Chopra noted the elegant shots played by Gill caught the eyes of the viewers and felt that he is highly prized when he bats in that fashion. The 44-year-old felt that Gill missed the chance to score a century and noted that the youngster should have dominated proceedings. He revealed his disappointment over seeing the way Gill got run out.

“Shubman Gill batted extremely well. The way he started with the drive, after that the punch, and the straight six he hit, he is brilliant. When he bats, it seems he is million-dollar. A half-century is a fantastic return but in my opinion, it was a century missed, an opportunity not lost but definitely missed because you were playing very well, the opposition team was down, the wrestler had fallen and you just had to crush him,” Chopra said while speaking on his Youtube Channel.

“The way he got run out, that was a lazy run, honestly. It was his own call, it was an easy run as well but he didn’t reach the other end, he was out by such a huge margin, put in the dive. I was slightly disappointed,” he added.