Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Shubman Gill smashed his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century during the first innings of the match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad on Monday, May 15. The swashbuckling opener took just 56 balls to achieve this feat, and in doing so, was the sixth ton of the season, and the first in the short history of the Gujarat Titans in the IPL.
Gill has been in excellent form, both internationally and in IPL 2023. He has scored seven centuries in the last six months. These include two Tests, three ODIs, one T20I and one IPL century. Interestingly, he also scored an ODI double-century during this period. During his exceptional innings for GT, he also became the first batter to 1000 IPL runs for the defending champions.
After scoring his maiden century in the cash-rich tournament, the stylish right-handed batter became the first cricketer in history to score a century in Tests, ODIs, T20Is and IPL in a calendar year. While there are a handful of cricketers who have scored centuries in all three formats of the game and in the IPL, no batter except for Gill managed to reach three figures in all format in a calendar year.
"My IPL debut was against SRH, now I've my IPL hundred against them. Quite pleased. It's come a full circle. Hopefully I'll get more hundreds this season. I'm not the kind of person who dwells too much about my last innings. The focus is on what's need at the moment. The most satisfying moment was to hit Abhishek for a six because he is my childhood friend," Gill was quoted as saying in the post-match presentation ceremony after the game between GT and SRH on May 15.
Fans, pundits and current cricketers lauded Gill for his pristine display with the bat which ultimately led to defending champions securing a playoff berth. Former India captain and arguably the greatest batter of the current generation, Virat Kohli also penned a heartwarming message for his India teammate.
Kohli took to his Instagram story and wrote, "There's potential and then there's Gill. Go on and lead the next generation. God bless you."
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