"Ready to take Virat Kohli legacy"- Fans react after Shubman Gill's match-winning 87-run knock vs England in 1st ODI 2025 

Team India batter Shubman Gill received praise from fans after his match-winning knock in the first ODI against England on Thursday, February 6. The hosts beat the English side by four wickets at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur and went 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series.

England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bat first in the opening encounter of the series. Buttler (52), Jacob Bethel (51), Phil Salt (43), and Ben Duckett (32) got starts but failed to convert them as the English team bundled out for 248 in 47.4 overs.

Indian team management then demoted Shubman Gill and gave debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal the chance to open with Rohit Sharma. The move did not work as both Jaiswal and Rohit departed inside six overs with only 19 runs on the board.

Shubman Gill entered the crease at the number three position and stabilized the innings with a sensible half-century. He stitched 94 and 108-run partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (59) and Axar Patel (52) to set up a platform for a comfortable win for India. However, Gill perished for 87 (96) in the 37th over, trying to play aggressively, as India was only 14 runs away from a victory.

Fans were impressed with Shubman Gill's mature innings in the tricky chase after India lost early wickets. They hailed him through their reactions on X (formerly known as Twitter). Here are some of them:

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"The idea was not to get too bogged down and be positive"- India vice-captain Shubman Gill after India's win vs England in 1st ODI 2025

Shubman Gill received the Player of the Match award at the post-match presentation for his brilliant batting performance in the chase. Reflecting on his knock, Gill said:

"I was just trying to be positive. There was a little bit in it for the fast bowlers with the new ball. The idea was not to get too bogged down and be positive. Shreyas Iyer batted really well. When a player comes like that and takes the game on, it puts the opposition on the back foot. Obviously it was a good decision on his part and it helped me."

He continued:

"I think the wicket was a bit double paced. The spinners varied the pace well. When they bowled slow, it spun. We had the plan to score more towards the square."

On being the vice-captain of the Indian team, he added:

"In batting, not much has changed. But in the field, I try to be a bit more involve. Trying to learn how Rohit bhai thinks. He has told me if there is something that I feel can be done, then I should not hesitate in telling him."

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Do you think Shubman Gill should continue at the number three position or open the innings in the 2nd ODI vs England? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.