India opening batter Shubman Gill has started to develop a knack of equaling his Pakistani counterparts. Gill, who had equaled Fakhar Zaman in terms of scoring fastest 1,000 ODI runs in the first ODI against New Zealand in Hyderabad last week, equaled Babar Azam in the list of most runs scored in a three-match ODI series in the ongoing third ODI against the same team in Indore.
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Gill scoring a fourth international century within six weeks has propelled him to enter a mind-blowing run of form at the highest level especially in ODIs. Gill’s third ODI century this month played a pivotal role in him joining hands with captain Rohit Sharma (101) for the fifth-highest ODI opening partnership among Indian batters.
Pick of the Indian batters on Tuesday, Gill scored 112 (78) comprising 13 fours and five sixes to not feel an iota of trouble by New Zealand’s fast bowlers. Outplaying Sharma around both scoring a half-century and century, Gill’s strike rate of 143.58 should make bowlers fear him in a format which appears to be the best-suited for him.
Not that batters of other teams don’t hit ODI centuries at this strike rate but a major difference between them and Gill is the amount of risk taken to punish the opposition bowlers. Gill, who often faces criticism for his T20 strike rate, looks at his optimum best when it comes to playing the ODIs.
The fact that the 23-year old player makes shot-making look absolutely effortless and risk-free has it in it to make him one the best ODI batters of all time. If Gill continues to time a cricket ball and find gaps with such ease in the years to come, there would literally be no stopping him in international cricket.
Most runs in an ODI series of three matches
| Batter | Team | Opposition | Runs | Average | 100 | Year |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | West Indies | 360 | 120 | 3 | 2016 |
| Shubman Gill | India | New Zealand | 360 | 180 | 2 | 2023 |
| Imrul Kayes | Bangladesh | Zimbabwe | 349 | 116.3 | 2 | 2018 |
| Quinton de Kock | South Africa | India | 342 | 114 | 3 | 2013 |
| Martin Guptill | New Zealand | England | 330 | 330 | 2 | 2013 |
