When asked to choose between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill chooses this other legendary cricket player

Recent success enjoyed by Shubman Gill bodes well for the Indian cricket team as they prepare to host the One-Day International World Cup in a few months.

When the youthful opener scored 112 against New Zealand in Indore on Tuesday, he reached his fourth century in just 21 One-Day International appearances.

In the current 50-over format, he is averaging 73.76 runs per innings. When Gill reached the 112-run milestone in the match that was being played in Indore, he tied the record held by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for scoring the joint-most runs (360) in a one-day international series that consisted of three matches. In the format of the test match, Gill also has a lot.

In a video interview that was shown on Star Sports on Tuesday, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli were both named as potential candidates for Shubman as his favourite cricket player.

The reply came from 23-year-old Shubman who said: “I think of Virat Bhai because…Sachin sir is the reason why I started playing cricket. My dad was a tremendous fan of Sachin Tendulkar. At the time of his retirement, I was not old enough to comprehend cricket.

When I first started to grasp cricket a bit more, I would have to say Virat bhai because I have gained a lot of knowledge about batting from watching him play.”

In the third one-day international, Rohit Sharma produced his first century in an ODI in three years, while Shubman Gill kept up his blazing run to lead India to 385 for nine.

As Rohit (101 runs off 85 balls) reached the three-figure mark for the first time since January 2020, the two batted together to produce a ferocious opening partnership of 212 runs. Gill (112 out of 78) achieved his fourth century in an ODI.

On the eve of the game, Rahul Dravid made a joke about how bowlers don’t want to bowl as soon as they land in Indore since the conditions favour batters.

The batting great made an interesting point there. Even as they were chasing the target, the New Zealand hitters had a good time, and Devon Conway hit a century.