Former Indian batter Ambati Rayudu praised Shubman Gill for his crucial knock after India registered a comprehensive five-wicket win against New Zealand in the opening ODI at Eden Park, Auckland, on Wednesday.
Gill scored 37 runs off 56 balls with the help of five fours on a tricky pitch. The Indian captain was dismissed by a short delivery from Nathan Smith.
Rayudu highlighted that Gill didn’t let his ego get in the way as Virat Kohli was going smoothly at the other end. Gill added 113 runs off 104 balls with the veteran batter.
“Gill played a very important knock. He did not let any ego get in the way, and he quickly understood that Virat was doing something that I don’t think anyone can do. He just played his game and was not influenced by what Virat was doing. So, it was very smart and for a young guy to do that is quite difficult, so hats off to him,” Rayudu said on Cricbuzz.
Kohli scored an impressive knock of 74 runs off 51 balls with the help of 13 fours and one six as he was able to hit the ground running.
On the other hand, former Indian spinner Murali Kartik said Kohli and Gill enjoy batting with each other as they have the right chemistry.
“They enjoy batting with each other, you could see there were certain moments. The King was enjoying his batting and the Prince was enjoying it from the other end. So every time there was a good shot played, there was a massive fist bump, and that tells you that they enjoy the company out there in the middle. I think that is what makes a young captain comfortable,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz.
The second ODI between India and New Zealand will be played at the Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Saturday
