It was in the seventh over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ run-chase on Saturday when Sunrisers Hyderabad achieved their high point of the match. Rashid Khan had just begun his spell and removed Dinesh Karthik for a duck off his second delivery.
In the last six matches of this Indian Premier League, the chasing team had lost. The Sunrisers had only posted 142/4 but with KKR at 53/3 after losing two quick wickets, SRH knew they could force a collapse if the pressure could be sustained.
If.
Shubman Gill, however, had other ideas.
The Indian youngster was joined then by Eoin Morgan, England’s World Cup-winning white-ball captain, who has a penchant for taking the attack to the opposition more often than not. He survived a couple of LBW appeals by Rashid first up, before almost holing out to deep square-leg in the next over by Mohammad Nabi.
What the Knight Riders needed at that point was a calm, calculated approach. The required rate was well within control and they had to focus on seeing out the Afghan spin-twins with one good partnership.
The need of the hour was maturity, and they got just that from 21-year-old Gill.
Opening the innings, Gill had reached 25 off 21, with three fours and a six, by the time Karthik got out. And from over No 7 to over No 12, when SRH attacked with Rashid and Nabi, Gill scored just 20 runs off 19 balls with one four.
No fancy shots, no innovation, no recklessness... just good-old-fashioned playing the ball on the merit, respecting the bowler, and being cognisant of the match situation.
Gill then took it a step further. Even after that tricky period post the powerplay, he resisted the urge to finish with a flurry. He got to his half-century of 42 balls in the 13th over. By then, Morgan had settled in at the other end and KKR needed 48 to win with seven wickets in hand at just over six an over.
The young right-hander could’ve easily attempted some flamboyant strokes at that point, showed the world that he too had been honing his range-hitting skills. But he didn’t. Rather, he showed a kind of self-control that’s uncommon among players his age and remained not-out on 70 off 62 to take KKR home.
What stood out in Gill’s batting was how straight he played. He picked up 17 runs through singles to long-off and long-on. He knew KKR would remain on course by simply rotating the strike, and he did that in the safest way possible.
“The ball wasn’t spinning much and was easy to hit down the ground,” Gill said after the match. “As an opener, it is my duty to see my team through.”
If you felt Gill’s innings was chanceless when you watched it, then you would be right as per CricViz.
“I didn’t have to tell him (Gill) a great deal to be honest,” said Morgan. “His game is beautiful, good bat swing, very languid style, magnificent to watch. He’s a good kid, very hungry to learn and I would love to bat with him once again. I think he deserves all the success.”
KKR shed rustiness
While Gill’s form at the top of the order bodes well for the team, KKR will also be satisfied by their overall performance against the Sunrisers.
After losing comprehensively to Mumbai Indians in their opener, captain Karthik had said that he didn’t read too much into KKR’s performance that day.
“I think it was a pretty rusty day to be honest,” Karthik had said. “I don’t want to get too analytical. It is hard – playing in the heat and getting used to the conditions. The boys put in a good effort.”
The KKR players vindicated their skipper’s assessment by being clinical against SRH on Saturday. The bowling department, which had a lot more variety thanks to Varun Chakravarthy’s introduction, never let the Sunrisers’ batting lineup get ahead.
Australian pacer Pat Cummins, the most expensive overseas buy in IPL history (Rs 15.5 crore), returned with forgettable figures of 0/49 from 3 overs against MI. But he turned things around with a brilliant spell of 1/19 from 4 overs against SRH. He was quick and didn’t give an inch to Hyderabad’s dangerous top order.
And in the batting, Morgan getting some runs under his belt (42* off 29) is a big positive. His unbeaten 92-run partnership with Gill took KKR to victory and the experience he brings to the middle order is a huge asset.
The biggest positive for the two-time champions, however, was their young Indian opening batsman who is destined for big things. With Gill taking the initiative, Kolkata Knight Riders have set a base to build on for the rest of the campaign.
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