Shubman Gill. (Source – Twitter/X)
Indian captain Shubman Gill was impressed with Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s impactful knocks in the second T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare. After losing Gill’s wicket in the second over of the match, there was pressure on Abhishek and Ruturaj to bail India out of a difficult spot, and they dealt with it by playing an aggressive brand of cricket. It was a belter of a surface in Harare and both players took advantage of that.
Taking a bit of time to settle down, Abhishek dealt in boundaries. He smashed seven boundaries and eight maximums and hit a terrific century in only his second international match. Gaikwad took control once Abhishek went back to the pavilion. Towards the fag end of the match, the Pune-born cricketer wreaked havoc, smashing 77* runs off 47 balls. Speaking about their knocks, Gill talked about the value they bring to the table and lauded them for their mature innings despite being new to international cricket.
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“Very happy, great to be back on the winning note back again. With the way Abhishek and Rutu (Gaikwad) batted, it was not easy especially in the powerplay, with the ball moving around but Abhi and Rutu built the innings brilliantly. Yesterday, it was more about not being able to handle the pressure, it’s a young side and many of them are new to international exposure,” Shubman said at the post-match presentation.
“It was actually good to have pressure in the first game, and we knew what to expect coming into this game. We have got three matches to go, and we are looking forward to them. It’s always good to have more options rather than not having options,” the 24-year-old added.
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Other than Abhishek and Ruturaj, Rinku Singh also had an incredible day with the bat. After failing to make it to India’s T20 World Cup squad, Rinku had a point to prove, but he failed to fire in the first match. However, in the second, he reigned supreme and smashed 48* runs off 22 balls, helping India post 234 runs in the first innings.