"Doesn't give you that impression" - Sanjay Manjrekar's massive statement on Team India batter after BAN vs IND 2025 Champions Trophy clash

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar felt middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer might not be in for the long haul despite his outstanding record in ODIs. Manjrekar's remarks came while praising Shubman Gill for his match-winning unbeaten century against Bangladesh in India's 2025 Champions Trophy opener in Dubai.

Iyer has been in sensational ODI form with two half-centuries in his last three outings before the Champions Trophy. The 30-year-old also possesses an excellent overall ODI record with an average of 47.58 and a strike rate of over 102 in 66 games.

Meanwhile, Gill has gone from strength to strength in the 50-over format, with the century against Bangladesh being his eighth in 51 matches.

Talking about Gill in comparison to Iyer, Manjrekar told ESPN Cricinfo:

"He [Gill] is batting at the right position to make a huge impact. When he gets a hundred, like today, it seems like there is plenty left in the tank. It was like 60% of Shubman Gill is enough to get a hundred like this and he stays till the end. That is the difference between Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill that Gill will take you right till the end. He is somebody who you think is going to be around for 10-15 years. Shreyas Iyer, despite his obvious talent, doesn't give you that impression."

He added:

"Some of the shots he played, the good-length ball he hit and it went into second tier… the big game is at his beck and call. Can he be better in 50-over cricket as a batter? I don't think so, what can be better than this?"

Gill withstood the fall of wickets at the other end, finishing with 101* off 129 deliveries as India completed their run-chase of 229 in the 47th over with six wickets in hand.

"He is not one-dimensional, he has all the gears" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Bangladesh v India - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

Sanjay Manjrekar further praised Shubman Gill for his ability to bat in multiple gears according to the game's situation. The 25-year-old boasts outstanding ODI numbers with 2,688 runs at an average of 62.51 and a strike rate of 100.78 in 51 matches.

"Shubman Gill is that kind of a player, he is not one-dimensional, he has all the gears and we saw him do that today as well. He is a guy at the top of his 50-over-cricket prowess and he does it very calmly. There is an air of dominance and surety with the way he bats and finishes games. And also the ability to nick off singles, keep that scoreboard ticking. It is not that he plays the sweep shot a lot or the dab," said Manjrekar.

He concluded:

"He goes very traditional and loves to keep the bat straight. Even when he is playing the pull shot, the bat comes down very straight. A lot of his singles would be back-foot punches to long-on instead of playing just with soft hands. A guy who can get singles at will, can hit a six at will, has got a reasonably good defence for 50-over cricket, he's the complete player at the moment."

The Bangladesh century was Gill's second consecutive three-figure score and a fourth straight 50+ score in ODIs. Team India will hope the stylish opener continues his phenomenal run when they take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their next outing in Dubai on Sunday, February 23.