Stylish right-handed batter Shubman Gill finally came out of his brief lean patch and stroked a good-looking half-century in the third and deciding ODI match between India and West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba in Trinidad on August 2 (Wednesday). Gill smashed 85 runs off 92 balls with the help of 11 fours and helped India post a daunting total of 351/5 on the board.
Gill was bestowed with the Man of the Match for his stylish knock and the right-handed batter was mighty pleased after registering his first half-century of the tour.
"Very special for me, my first fifty on the tour. I was hoping to get a big score for the team, a hundred, but that didn't happen but the result was on our side. It was a good pitch to bat on but got difficult to bat on after the ball got older," Gill said after the game.
India registered their second-biggest ODI win against the West Indies as Hardik Pandya-led Men in Blue registered an emphatic 200-run victory in a do-or-die game. Captain Rohit Sharma and Kohli missed the second straight game of the series as India handed chance more chances to youngsters.
The young players came to the party as Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson all stroked half-centuries before Hardik capped it off with a sublime fifty at the end.
As far as Gill is concerned, his primary focus remains on giving the team a perfect start and laying a solid platform for the middle order batter.
"It's all about playing the situation, assessing it as early as possible. As an opener, it's your job to give a good start to the team and fortunately, I was able to do that. I think in the last match, I was set as well and looking for a big one. I don't think about all those external factors. I don't think who's playing and who's not playing and I just try to do my best," the Indian opening batter said.
India and West Indies will now lock horns in a five-match T20I series which is scheduled to begin on August 3.
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