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Former Selector Saba Karim Believes Shubman Gill Can Be The Backup Opener For The 2023 ODI World Cup
Many on the internet believe Gill is successfully solidifying his place in the Indian ODI side with his consistent quality performance. And now, ex Indian selector, Saba Karim has voiced his similar stance.
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The first ODI match between India and Zimbabwe wrapped up with India clinching an easy win over the hosts. The Indian side delivered a super fine performance in every department to limit Zimbabwe. The star performers leading India’s win proved to be Deepak Chahar, Shubman Gill, and Shikhar Dhawan.
Deepak Chahar, making his comeback to the game after a 6-month long break rightfully received the Player of the match reward. Chahar gave an early breakthrough to the team and ultimately scalped 3 wickets leaking just 27 runs in his 7-over spell.
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However, India truly defined dominance when they chased the target of 190 runs without losing any wickets in the second innings. Captain KL Rahul, ruling out various speculations, sent Shubman Gill to open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan. And Gill held on to the opportunity very well as he played a near-perfect game in the chase.
Shubman Gill Emanating Class In ODIs
Off The Mark ✅ pic.twitter.com/qnPyZ3Y8bp
— Shubman Gill (@ShubmanGill) August 18, 2022
Shubman Gill has been thoroughly consistent in the last few games he’s played for India. The right-handed opener was the Player of the series in the last series against West Indies. And his latest 82 of 72 score marks his third half-century stand in just 7 ODIs. The young batter has faced scrutiny over the low strike rate during his IPL and T20 standings.
However, Gill in ODIs has shown splendid game awareness as he accelerates the innings at the right time. Once settled, he projects the tendency to be hindered only by rain as illustrated by his recent 98* against Indies.
Saba Karim advocates for Gill’s inclusion In the World Cup Squad
Performance of Shubman Gill in the last 4 ODI matches:
64(53)
43(49)
98*(98)
82*(72) pic.twitter.com/ZBBDKuvyEB— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 18, 2022
Many on the internet believe Gill is successfully solidifying his place in the Indian ODI side with his consistent quality performance. And now, ex-Indian selector, Saba Karim has voiced his similar stance. With the ODI World Cup scheduled just months apart in 2023, Karim believes Shubman can be the key backup opener for India in the tournament.
“KL Rahul’s place at this time is No.4. This is the reason Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill opened the batting. India’s selectors and team management are looking for a backup opener for the 2023 World Cup,” Karim said while speaking to India News.
Moreover, he explained, “Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will serve as front-line openers, while Gill can fulfill the role of a backup opener. It is very difficult to play across three formats with the right technique, but Gill possesses all those elements. His temperament is good. He had to go through tough challenges where he scored runs.”
“This is a good phase for Shubman and I think the team management has marked him as a player who can play all three formats, which is a big thing,” Karim added.
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