Former Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar praised Indian skipper Shubman Gill after the Men in Blue registered a six-wicket win against England in the opening ODI at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Tuesday.
Nayar said Gill batted like a possessed man in the run chase of 259. The former Indian batter said Gill is batting like Virat Kohli used to do in his prime days.
Gill scored a fine knock of 80 runs off 75 balls with the help of 11 fours and one six. However, the Indian skipper was forced to retire hurt due to cramps. Gill added 101 runs off 103 balls with vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, who scored 35 runs.
Abhishek Sharma said on JioHotstar, “I was reminded of the time when Virat Kohli came into the team and reached his purple patch. It seemed like Virat Kohli would score runs whenever he batted. Shubman Gill is looking just like that because he is looking flawless. It doesn’t feel like he was having difficulty at any point, whether it was fast bowling or seam.”
“Rohit Sharma was also having difficulties, but you never saw Shubman Gill under pressure. You never saw Shubman out of place, whether it was spin or pace. Because of injury or cramp, unfortunately, he didn’t get that hundred, but he looks like a million bucks. Looks like a person who is possessed and in a great space as a cricketer and a captain,” he added.
Nayar said Gill’s injury needs to assessed before the second ODI against England.
“It needs to be seen what the injury is. Was it cramps, or was there a pull? If there is a strain, it becomes difficult because you cannot recover in one-and-a-half days. If it’s mere cramps, those things can easily be managed through electrolytes. You put in the fluids. You can take an IV if possible. There are many things you can do,” he said.
The KKR head coach is hopeful that Gill would be fit for the second ODI against the hosts.
“It will depend a lot on what the injury is, and we all hope that it’s nothing major. We all hope that it’s only cramps. You want Shubman in the best of health. You want Shubman alive and kicking in this series because you want to leave a statement, not only as a captain but also as a team,” Nayar observed.
The second ODI between India and England will be played at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Thursday.
