A work-in-progress in Tests, the real deal in ODIs — the Gill conundrum Premium

Shubman Gill's magical batting prowess in ODIs, ranking No. 1, showcases elegance, balance, and potential for global recognition.

In full flow, Shubman Gill’s bat, adorning a blue sticker of sponsor CEAT on the front and back, can seem less like a piece of wood and more like a magic wand. Such is the nonchalance and grace with which he wields that willow of his. Nowhere does he do it more adeptly than in the 50-over format, where his ranking of No. 1 in the International Cricket Council’s batting charts reflects his pre-eminence.

Over the past month, Gill’s dominance in this version has been reinforced in striking fashion. Opening the batting alongside Rohit Sharma, the 25-year-old has strung together a run of significant scores by dovetailing a bit of pragmatism with oodles of regal elegance. It has got cricket pundits waxing lyrical about his one-day game.

Since India’s ODI series against England began on February 6, Gill has crossed fifty in four out of six matches, which includes three outings in the ICC Champions Trophy. His only real blip came against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday when he was trapped leg-before by Matt Henry on two. Be that as it may, he has registered match-winning hundreds twice in this purple patch and followed up with that now characteristic celebration where he unstraps his helmet, his jet-black hair slicked back, and bows down with his right arm tucked behind to acknowledge the applause of the audience.

The elegant response whenever he reaches the three-figure mark, which he has done eight times in 53 ODI innings, sits well with his understated persona and exquisite batting traits. Soft-spoken off the field and stately in his movements on it, Gill’s run-making revolves around sweet timing without compromising on the aesthetics of his craft. Blessed with a long reach — he stands at 6 feet and one inch — he makes up for his minimal footwork by seemingly getting into position a split-second faster than most and then meeting the ball under his eye with that free-flowing bat swing.

His knock of 46 against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai was a glimpse of Gill at his very best. Though the vice-captain fell just shy of a half-century, there were an array of strokes in that offering that simply took your breath away.

Having just witnessed Rohit being castled by a yorker in Shaheen Afridi’s previous over, a less gifted batter may have just looked to bide his time against the mercurial left-arm pacer. Gill, instead, flipped the pressure right back on Shaheen with three fours in the seventh over of the run chase. Two of them were utterly sumptuous and worthy of repeat viewing, his trademark short-arm pull over midwicket being bettered by a jaw-dropping straight drive two deliveries later. Freeze the frame on his drive down the ground and notice how Gill just leans forward and presents a high front elbow without looking to overhit or bludgeon the ball.

Style without substance, however, is futile at the highest level. What Gill is doing in ODIs is also racking up imposing numbers. In 53 ODIs, he has amassed 2,736 runs at an average of 60.80 and a strike rate of 100.36. No batter, in this format’s history, has had a better average in their first 53 ODIs. If not for the dwindling relevance of this format possibly altering the landscape going forward, Gill seems to be well on his way to becoming a colossus in one-day cricket in much the same way Rohit and Kohli are.