Wasim Jaffer reacts to Shubman Gill’s scintillating ton: “T20 format was the only question mark over his ability”

Former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer feels Shubman Gill has answered critics who questioned his T20I ability following a brilliant hundred in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 1.

Gill, who was dismissed for seven and 11 in the first two T20Is, notched up his maiden hundred in the format in the series decider against New Zealand. The right-handed batter smashed 126* off 63 balls as India registered a thumping 168-run win over the Kiwis.

With his knock in the third T20I, Gill became only the fifth Indian to score a hundred in all three formats of international cricket. Praising the 23-year-old batter, Jaffer said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo:

“Shubman Gill beat New Zealand by 60 runs himself. He has come of age, surely, the way he has batted in the last couple of months in Tests and in ODIs. The T20 format was the only question mark over his ability and his strike rate.

“There was no denying that he had kind of conquered Test cricket a little bit. In one-day cricket, he has made a spot of his own. In the T20s, there were question marks about his hitting ability. It just goes on to show how mature he has become over a period of a couple of months."

Jaffer described Gill’s stroke play in Ahmedabad as "magnificent", adding that he hit the ball very cleanly. The 44-year-old commented:

“What a knock it has been in a series decider. The last 76-78 runs, what magnificent hitting we have seen. We had never seen that. Probably in that double hundred we saw a bit, but today was clean striking and absolutely brutal hitting from him.”

Gill struck 12 fours and seven sixes in his unbeaten century as Team India posted 234/4, batting first after winning the toss. The opener also broke Virat Kohli’s record (122*) for the highest individual score by an Indian in T20Is.

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“He can switch gears when he wants to” - Jaffer compares Gill to Rohit and Kohli

With five overs left in India’s innings, Gill was unbeaten on 67 off 44 balls. He shifted gears in incredible fashion to stun the Kiwi bowlers. Sharing his views on the opener’s death-overs hitting, Jaffer said:

“It’s a very impressive sign. The way he bats, you kind of feel that he has got that game. It’s up to him when he needs to take it out, similar to Rohit Sharma or Kohli. They know when to pull out certain shots and Gill falls into that category. He can switch gears when he wants to.”

After Gill’s assault lifted Team India to 234/4, Hardik Pandya claimed 4/16 as New Zealand were bundled out for 66 in 12.1 overs.