Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar picked Shubman Gill as the player who will be around for a long period in Indian cricket. Besides Gill’s masterclass, Manjrekar was also much impressed by Iyer’s ‘flawless’ stroke play and rated the explosive 59(36) person’s innings 10/10 on ‘quality.’ Gill and Iyer were the main players in India’s four-wicket win in the first ODI against England. With skipper Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal not allowing India to get off to a good start at 19/2 while chasing 249, Gill and Iyer applied the brakes and got the innings back on track.
With flawless technique and an unorthodox nature to their shots, Gill and Iyer put on a 94-run partnership to steer India out of a position at one point on thin ice.
While Gill, in course of his 87(96), relied on his defensive game, Shreyas took upon himself to inflict violence on the pitch. He was not shy to employ a variety of shots and his runs flowed briskly.
His swift expedition came to an end with Jacob Bethell pinning him right in front of the stumps. For Manjrekar, it was the finest innings he saw from Shreyas.
“I know it’s just 58 for now. But that has to be Shreyas Iyer’s best innings! Because of the sheer flawless nature of stroke play, the range of shots played & the relative orthodoxy of all his shots. On quality it was 10/10,” Manjrekar wrote on X.
Once Shreyas went back to the dressing room, Gill stepped up to lead India past the winning line. He struck a fine balance between defence and attack in his superb 87 off 96 balls, edging India two steps closer to victory.
“We had a term in the team ‘Lambi race ka Ghoda’ for certain players. Meaning someone who will be around for a long time in Indian cricket. That’s what Shubman Gill is!” Manjrekar wrote on X.
After sealing a four-wicket win in the series opener, India will look to take an unassailable lead in Cuttack on Sunday.
