PBKS vs GT: I am hitting the ball hard, trust me - Shubman Gill after match-winning 96
India Today
IPL 2022, PBKS v GT: Shubman Gill was named man-of-the-match for his 59-ball 96 as Gujarat Titans secured a 6-wicket win over Punjab Kings at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday. Gill said he was trying to hit the ball as hard as he could and added he was focused on minimising the number of dot balls.
Shubman Gill fell 4 runs short of his maiden IPL hundred as Gujarat Titans successfully chased 190 against Punjab Kings in a thrilling IPL 2022 match at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday. Gill bettered his IPL best of 84 which he scored against Delhi Capitals in Pune on April 2 and was named man-of-the-match after GT won a last-ball cliff-hanger.
While Gill won plaudits for his heroics, Rahul Tewatia sealed the deal for GT with two sixes off the final two balls of the match off Odean Smith.
Shubman Gill, at 22 years and 212 days, could have become the 5th youngest batter to hit an IPL hundred. However, he was a happy man anyway after GT won their third successive match to go No.2 in the IPL 2022 points table. Gill, speaking to the host broadcasters in the post-match presentation ceremony, said he was hitting the ball really hard in the middle of a golden run.
"It is important to keep the scoreboard ticking. It is important to hit those gaps because this outfield (Brabourne) is rapid. It is just about execution.
"It was just one of those days where I was hitting the ball well and finding the gaps as well.
"I am hitting the ball hard, trust me. I am doing my level best to hit it hard. It might not look that way.
"As an opener, I have to bat through the innings, so that it is easier for the big-hitters to hit it in the end. Instead of not thinking in the nets, I try and work and reduce my dot balls as much as possible," Gill said.
