“Dhawan is such a chill guy to bat with”: Shubman Gill admits enjoying opening the batting with Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs

Shubman Gill admits enjoying opening the batting: The Indian opening batter is making the most of his stint as an ODI opening batter.

Yet to justify his potential despite 21 Test innings across 20 months, India batter Shubman Gill has resumed his ODI career on a contrasting note. Making an ODI comeback after more than 18 months despite not playing a List A match in this period, Gill has been on a roll since India’s tour of West Indies last month.

In four ODI innings in the last one month, Gill has amassed 287 runs at an average and strike rate of 143.50 and 105.51 respectively. Gill, 22, was unfortunate to miss out on a maiden ODI century during the final ODI in West Indies last month but three half-centuries (two unbeaten) have put him on the ODI radar yet again.

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“It was all about getting experience in the middle and that was the talk with Rahul [Dravid, head coach] sir and Vikram [Rathore, batting coach] bhai, to get as much time in the middle. The surfaces in the West Indies were slightly difficult and I wanted to spend time and gain experience,” Gill told Sony Sports Network before the start of the second Zimbabwe vs India ODI in Harare today.

Shubman Gill admits enjoying opening the batting with Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs

Having first represented India in a couple of ODIs over three and a half years ago in New Zealand, Gill was handed a third ODI opportunity after almost two years in Australia.

It was in his third ODI that Gill opened the batting for the first time with India and alongside batter Shikhar Dhawan. With the pair putting together three 100+ opening partnership across four innings, Gill has admitted to enjoying opening the batting with the veteran batter.

“[Shikhar] Dhawan is such a chill guy to bat with, and even off the field. Everyone loves him,” Gill said of Dhawan as the pair appear to be bonding well in spite of a 14-year age difference.

Gill, who has often been criticized for his strike rate especially in the Indian Premier League, laid emphasis on minimizing the dot balls in this format. “One of the things I work on in white-ball cricket is to minimize the dot balls. That doesn’t mean go hard at every ball, you can also rotate the strike,” Gill mentioned.