Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Shubman Gill's sparkling fifty in 1st IND vs ENG ODI 2025 ft. Kris Srikkanth

Shubman Gill returned to form with a brilliant knock in the opening ODI of the three-match series between India and England in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6.

Bowling first, the hosts restricted England to a modest total of 248 with an exceptional bowling performance after the early attack from the visitors. Chasing a modest target, India lost a couple of wickets in quick time as openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (15) and skipper Rohit Sharma (2) departed early.

However, vice-captain Shubman Gill, along with Shreyas Iyer, put up a crucial partnership that steadied the ship. Axar Patel then played a vital hand after Iyer's dismissal.

Shubman Gill struck an important 96-ball 87, including 14 boundaries, which helped India win the game by four wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the series as well. On that note, let us take a look at some of the top reactions from former cricketers after his 'Player of the Match' performance.

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Top 5 expert reactions to Shubman Gill's sparkling fifty in 1st IND vs ENG ODI 2025

#5 Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took to X (formerly Twitter) praising Gill for his crucial knock. Manjrekar termed Gill as 'Lambi race ka Ghoda' which means a horse for the long race, referring to him playing for India for a long time.

"We had a term in the team ‘Lambi race ka Ghoda’ for certain players. Meaning someone who will be around for a long time in Indian cricket. That’s what Shubman Gill is! 🙌🙌," the former Indian cricketer wrote.

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#4 Aakash Chopra

Former India batter Aakash Chopra also lauded Gill for his maturity and the way he batted in the first ODI. He highlighted the fact that Gill scoring runs in the Ranji Trophy helped gain back his confidence.

"Let's talk about Shubman Gill's maturity. I loved the way he batted. One thing that got highlighted was whoever played domestic cricket and did something along with that, performed well here. He scored a hundred in the second innings (in the Ranji Trophy). The hundred he scored in domestic cricket gave him the confidence," he said while talking on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra'.

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#3 Basit Ali

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali also lauded Shubman Gill for his batting. On his YouTube channel "Basit Ali", he said that Gill showed respect and played on merit. He was also impressed by the way he changed his game and took responsibility after India lost two early wickets.

"Today for the first time I thought Gill is a serious player. He showed the ball respect today. He played on the merit. Usually Gill counter attacks upfront but he changed himself, which is a good thing that I noticed that he took responsibility. I liked his innings the most. He changed his game and this is called plying on merit. If he continues to play like this he will make a lot of name," he said.

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#2 Zaheer Khan

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan, talking on Cricbuzz, stated that Gill is a very talented player. The former left-arm quick added that Gill's numbers do the talking and appreciated him for his consistency in ODI cricket.

Further, Zaheer also hailed Gill for being composed despite batting at No. 3 as he usually opens the innings. He added that Gill's form is important for India.

"Shubman started slowly but he caught up very fast. It was the perfect support which Shreyas required at that stage. Shubman is a very talented player. His numbers speak for itself and he has been so consistent in this format. Didn't open the innings so he was batting out of position but yet looked composed. For India cricket its important that he hits that ground running," he said.

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#1 Kris Srikkanth

Former India batter Kris Srikkanth also praised Gill for his performance with the bat. Srikkanth stated that Gill played a mature and intelligent knock. Earlier, the former India cricketer had questioned Gill's spot in the ODI squad.

He also congratulated the vice-captain for winning the 'Player of the Match' award.

“He played a brilliant knock. Today I surrender to you completely. Shubman Gill played a very mature knock. More than mature, it was an intelligent knock. Shreyas Iyer had done all the work and had handed over the innings to Gill. He didn’t have to do much. He took his own time and did not go for big shots, especially against Adil Rashid. He played his normal game. Congrats Gill for getting the Player of the Match (POTM) award," he was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel via Inside Sport.