IND vs NZ 2022-23, 1st ODI: 'This knock means a lot to me' - Gill after becoming 5th Indian to score 200

Shubman Gill's intent to look for boundaries despite wickets falling at the other end contributed immensely to his sensational double hundred in the first One-Day International (ODI) against New Zealand. While the wickets were regularly falling at the other end, opener Gill batted till the 50th over to script a knock for the ages. Thanks to Michael Bracewell's breathtaking 140 off 78 balls, New Zealand came dangerously close to chasing down 350, but the barrage of sixes that Gill hit in the death overs made the difference. The gifted Gill was not getting support from the other end, but he kept looking for the odd boundary in the middle overs before going ballistic in the death overs. He hammered six sixes in the last ten balls he faced.

"This knock means a lot to me. I could not convert in the first ODI and third game [against Sri Lanka], I was looking to get a big score, but it didn't happen. Once I was set, I focused on scoring as many runs as possible. With the extra fielder inside the circle [in overs 11-40], we see the other teams pushing in the middle overs," Gill said.

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"Even when wickets were falling, I wanted to show intent to the bowlers because it's effortless to bowl dot balls if the batter is not showing intent. So, that was my intent when the wickets were falling that 'I will hit you if you are going to bowl bad balls'," the 23-year-old added about his mindset during his sensational innings.

What stood out was his ability to hit straight sixes. He ended up tonking nine of them on Wednesday. With the batters getting dismissed at the other end, the message from the dressing room kept changing, but it was the 47th over when Gill decided to go after every ball.

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"I think I once had hit six sixes in seven balls once in England. I was itching to unleash myself, but with wickets falling at regular intervals, the message from the dressing room was that I had to bat till the end. So, I had to play safely so that a ready batter doesn't get out," Gill recalled.

"If I had gotten out, it would have been difficult for the lower-order batters to hit boundaries. First, I decided to go hard in the last five overs, but with Washy [Washington Sundar] getting out in the 45th over, the message was to go hard in the last three overs. I decided to go big when I hit a couple of sixes [off Tickner in the 47th over]," affirmed Gill.

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Gill is starting to show the consistency expected from a rare talent like him, and he is glad about that. "Consistency is critical for me. It's the key to everything. As a batter, that is what I strive for in any format. It feels good when things you are doing repeatedly are paying off," expressed Gill, whose father has been his primary coach since he took up the game.

After a memorable double ton, he spoke about his father and mentor, Yuvraj Singh. "Yuvi paaji has been a mentor to me, like a big brother. I keep discussing my batting with him, and my dad has been my primary coach since the beginning. I am glad I could make them proud," Gill noted.

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"I didn't think the ball hit the stumps"
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was adjudged bowled, but replays suggested the ball did not hit the stumps. It could have been wicketkeeper Tom Latham's gloves that knocked the bails off, but the third umpire ruled it in favour of the away team. However, Gill had doubts about the dismissal.

"As a non-striker batter, I did not think the ball hit the stumps when I watched the replay. Sometimes there is a blind spot. You can't tell what happened. The bail falling towards the crease is a bit weird ]and not towards the wicketkeeper]. But, these bails are different. They are heavy bails, and in the end, you must go with the third umpire decision," concluded Gill.

(With inputs from PTI)