Indus Valley Times

HYDERABAD,JAN. 18: Shubman Gill settled the debate for the opener’s slot with a coming-of-age doubled hundred before India survived Michael Bracewell’s blitzkrieg to pull off a nervy 12-run win over New Zealand in the first ODI of the three-match series here on Wednesday.

Gill oozed class in his special 208 off 149 balls and batted through the innings to power India to 349 for eight. Skipper Rohit Sharma’s 34 off 38 was the second-best score of the innings, highlighting that it was very much a one-man show.

Chasing a big target, New Zealand were down and out at 131 for six before Michael Bracewell (140 off 78) came up with a stunning century to bring his team back in the game from nowhere. He shared 162 off 102 balls with fellow left-hander Mitchell Santer (57 off 45), New Zealand’s highest seventh-wicket stand in ODIs, to test India’s nerves.

Playing in front of his home crowd, pacer Mohammed Siraj (4/46) produced a match-winning effort to stop New Zealand, who ended at 337.

After India opted to bat, the 23-year-old Gill owned the stage and became the youngest batter to score a double hundred in ODI history. By doing so, he broke the record of Ishan Kishan, who was controversially dropped for the Sri Lanka ODIs after smashing a double ton in Bangladesh last month.

Gill, who was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket ever since he displayed his talent in the 2018 U-19 World Cup, hammered 19 fours and nine sixes, six of them coming after his 150. The double century was also his second successive three-digit score.

After India opted to bat, it was a good contest between the openers and New Zealand pacers as the hosts reached 52 for no loss in the first 10 overs. Rohit once again promised a big hundred but flattered to deceive. Lockie Ferguson was generating serious pace as usual from one end but after getting lucky with a mistimed pull in the fourth over, Gill produced a crisp cover drive to deny him a maiden in his following over.

Usually, a wicket silences the Indian crowd but following Rohit’s dismissal, the crowd welcomed superstar Virat Kohli with a massive roar. Having scored three hundreds in his last four innings, Kohli began with a crunchy cover drive before being undone by a beauty from left-arm spinner Santner. Kishan, who was accommodated in the middle order after missing out against Sri Lanka, too did not last long as he edged an angled delivery to wicketkeeper Tom Latham.