India tour of Zimbabwe: Going to cherish this one, says Shubman Gill after hitting maiden ODI century

India opener Shubman Gill expressed his happiness after hitting his maiden One-Day International hundred, saying he is going to “cherish” it.

Gill became the fourth Indian to score a maiden ODI century in Zimbabwe after Rohit Sharma, Kedar Jadhav and KL Rahul. Gill’s first-ever ODI hundred, which came in 82 balls, powered India to post 289 for the loss of eight wickets in the third and final match against Zimbabwe. In reply, Sikandar Raza, too, hit a century and nearly pulled off the win for Zimbabwe, but a diving catch by Gill ended Raza’s stay in the middle and crushed the hopes of the hosts to win the game.

“Special feeling. Going to cherish this one,” Gill said in an Instagram post.

Talking about his batting, Gill, who won the Player of the Series award for scoring 245 runs in three matches, said: “I was just trying to minimise my dot ball percentage. I tried to hit the gaps as much as possible. When I went in, there were a couple of bowlers bowling good. It was crucial to get through that. Once we were settled, we knew we could attack.

“The bat was pretty good. That’s why I changed it after my 50, I wanted to save it. It feels great, great bunch of players. Feels good when you are with the same bunch. My father has been my primary coach. I got a schooling after I got out in the second ODI, so I dedicate this to him.”

India captain KL Rahul also hailed Gill’s performance after the match, calling it “very pleasing to the eye”.

“He’s been batting well since the IPL,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation. “Not seen him over-confident. That requires composure, to show that kind of temperament is good.”

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