Shubman Gill's playoff madness propels him into a league of his own

Playoff games in the IPL live long in memory and for obvious reasons. For some, it is a chance to propel themselves into the imagination, while for others, it is an opportunity to reiterate just why they remain a cut above the rest. And then, there is a separate category – one that houses Shubman Gill.

This bracket does not really care about whether they are playing a playoff or not. They do not worry about who the opposition is or what they are trying to do. They just impose their game and make thousands (or millions) collectively gape in awe, both at the venue and in front of television sets.

The scoreboard will tell you that Gill hit 129 off 60 balls. That knock also contained seven fours and 10 sixes. What it will not tell you is the ease with which he batted. Not breaking a sweat is perhaps one of the more overused expressions in cricketing jargon, but the Gujarat Titans (GT) opener, till the time he was at the crease, barely elicited a sweat and treated his innings as just another day at the office.

Most cricketers, though, might not even be able to dream of batting this way, let alone execute it. And here is a 23-year-old making batting seem as easy as taking your dog out for a walk.

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Gill produced a special knock against MI

This knock was filled with strokes all around the park. Whenever you talk of T20 batters, there is usually an area that you can cordon off, and that can subsequently impact run-scoring. With Gill, all of that seems pointless.

The Mumbai Indians (MI) tried everything they could in Qualifier 2, yet, came up woefully short. They tried spin but saw it being dispatched for sixes regularly. MI tried to bowl hard lengths but Gill read it like the morning daily before thumping it into the stands.

The sound that the ball made when it collided with his bat was a pure symphony. It was almost like a veteran musician, choosing his notes meticulously, and playing those melodies at the apt speed while finding the perfect rhythm.

What made it even more special was the sense of inevitability around it all. Whenever Gill was on strike, singles, and doubles felt like an aberration and perhaps, a disappointment.

A lot of people - on social media, at the stadium, and even in the commentary box would have felt that this was the best IPL knock they had ever seen. That is saying a lot, for the IPL has been around for more than 15 years, and has witnessed plenty of jaw-dropping performances.

The fact that we are having this conversation is indicative of just how special Gill was. Add to it the high stakes, the pressure of being in a genuine knockout contest, and the trepidation that one misstep could lead to a failed title defense – it does not take rocket science to figure out why several people opined that they had experienced sheer greatness in the flesh.

The best part, from an Indian fan’s point of view, is that he has been doing it across formats and in different conditions. Just a few months ago, he was at this very venue, getting his second Test ton against Australia. Then he scored a double hundred in an ODI against New Zealand and a hundred in a T20I. In the IPL, he now has three centuries in a season.

This might sound dramatic, but there is not a lot left to achieve for Gill. But the way he is batting, he does not seem content to rest on his laurels. If anything, he wants this to be the marker that he is always measured up against.

That should be enough to tell you what he is destined for. And if there are still any lingering doubts, this playoff madness has ensured that Gill has propelled himself into a league of his own.

Once in a while, someone comes along and makes it seem as if they were born to bat. And that is why these batters are labeled as generational talents. Gill has always seemed destined to make this tag his own.

But now, he is perhaps growing out of it. He is making people run out of superlatives, he is making articles like these redundant and he is making onlookers question just how a ceiling he actually has.

With Gill, you no longer know what is possible. Because anything and everything seems achievable.