"The Prince of World Cricket" - Fans hail Shubman Gill for majestic 50 in must-win Asia Cup 2023 tie vs NEP

Shubman Gill was back to his imperious best in India's must-win encounter against Nepal in the final Group A game of the 2023 Asia Cup in Pallekele on Monday. Team India defeated Nepal by a crushing 10-wicket margin to advance to the Super Four stage.

Gill, coming off a dismal tour of the West Indies, scored a scratchy 10 off 32 deliveries in India's Asia Cup opener against Pakistan. However, Gill immediately broke loose by stroking three serene boundaries in the second over of India's run-chase.

Despite rain interrupting play a few deliveries later, the opening batter remained unwavering and finished with an unbeaten 67 off 62 balls. With a revised target of 145 from 23 overs, Shubman Gill combined with skipper Rohit Sharma and propelled Team India to a comfortable 10-wicket win in the 21st over.

During his knock, the Punjab-born batter became the fastest Indian to 1,500 ODI runs, achieving the landmark in 29 innings. The record was previously held by Shreyas Iyer, who reached the milestone in 34 innings.

Gill boasts a terrific ODI record, with 1,514 runs at an average of over 63 and a 102.64 strike rate.

Following a breathtaking start to 2023, scoring his maiden ODI double-century and T20I century against New Zealand, Gill was the leading run-scorer in the IPL. However, his form took a sudden dip, which concerned fans with the World Cup around the corner.

Hence, fans on Twitter were hopeful of the youngster regaining his best form following the match-winning knock today. Here are some of the best reactions:

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"It was important for me to finish the game" - Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma tore the Nepal attack to all corners of the ground.

Shubman Gill expressed delight at finishing the run-chase against Nepal with skipper Rohit Sharma following his disappointing outing against Pakistan.

The duo added their third 140+ opening stand to lead Team India to an easy win and book their berth in the Super Four. They will join arch-rivals Pakistan as two teams to advance from Group A.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Gill credited the duo's contrasting batting styles for their success as an opening partnership.

"Quite disappointed with the way I got out day before yesterday. It was important for me to finish the game along with Rohit bhai and we did that. He (Rohit) is the kind of player who likes to take the bowlers on aerial. I am the kind of player who likes to hit more boundaries than aerial. That combination works quite well for us," Shubman Gill said.

It was also the third instance of Gill and Rohit stitching a 100-run opening partnership in just 10 ODIs, with an average over 80. The duo has crossed 50 on seven occasions as an opening partnership, including 143 and 212 against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, respectively, earlier this year.

Team India will have a few days off before taking on Pakistan in their first Super Four game at Colombo on Sunday, September 10.