Sparkling Shubman double ton in India win over New Zealand
SHUBMAN Gill hit a fine double century as India beat New
ealand by 12 runs in a thriller in Hyderabad in the opening One Day International of the three-game series on Wednesday, reports BBC.com.
Opener Gill smashed 1 fours and nine sixes in his innings of 20 from 14 balls, reaching his 200 with three successive sixes off Lockie Ferguson.
New ealand looked out of the contest when they slipped to 131-6, but Michael Bracewell clubbed 140 off 7 balls.
Just as it looked like the tourists might pull off an unlikely win, Mohammed Siraj took two quick wickets.
Siraj finished with 4-46, including the wicket of Mitchell Santner, who shared 162 for the seventh wicket with Bracewell.
At the age of 23 years and 132 days, Gill becomes the youngest man to hit a double ton in a one-day international.
He is the eighth men’s batter to achieve the feat and the fifth Indian.
Captain Rohit Sharma, who has hit three ODI double hundreds in his career - including the record 264 - was the second-highest scorer with just 34.
New ealand could have dismissed Gill for 45 when he danced down the track to Bracewell and edged through to Tom Latham, but the wicketkeeper put down the catch and was also unable to take the stumping chance with Gill out of his crease.
After reaching his half century off 52 balls, Gill accelerated through his innings, needing 35 more deliveries to reach his ton and 35 more to move to 150.
He then launched a brutal attack on the New ealand bowlers in the final overs to move from 151 to 200 in just 23 deliveries, smashing 3 runs off his final 12 balls.
He hit Ferguson for three consecutive sixes, pulling one wide delivery over fine leg before two booming drives over long-off, to reach 200.
Gill also becomes the jointsecond-fastest men’s player to reach 1,000 ODI runs in just 1 appearances.
He was eventually dismissed in the final over thanks to a fine catch by Glenn Phillips at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Henry Shipley, who ended with figures of 2-74 from nine overs.
Santner, who took the prize wicket of Virat Kohli for just eight, was the only New ealand bowler to go for less than six an over, taking 1-56. Scores: India 349/8 (Shubhman Gill 208, Rohit Sharma 34; Daryl Mitchell 2-30) bt New Zealand 337 (Michael Bracewell 140, Mitchell Santner 57, Mohammed Siraj 4/46) by 12 runs.