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Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar picked Shubman Gill as the player who will be around for a long time in Indian cricket. Apart from Gill's masterclass, Manjrekar was also impressed by Shreyas Iyer's "flawless" stroke play and rated his belligerent 59(36) 10/10 on "quality."
Gill and Shreyas were in the vanguard of India's four-wicket triumph in the first ODI against England. When skipper Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal left India in a mess at 19/2 while chasing 249, Gill and Iyer dug deep to keep the innings from falling apart. With flawless technique and an unorthodox nature in their shots, Gill and Iyer raised a 94-run partnership to steer India out of a position when they walked on thin ice. While Gill, in course of his 87 (96), relied on his defensive prowess, Shreyas took the brunt of scoring runs on his shoulders. With a wide array of shots and picture-perfect strokeplay, he maintained a healthy run flow. His swift expedition was brought to an end by Jacob Bethell, who pinned him right in front of the stumps at 59(36). For Manjrekar, it was the best inning that he saw from Shreyas. "I know it's just 58 for now. But that has to be Shreyas Iyer's best innings! Because of the sheer flawless nature of stroke play, the range of shots played & the relative orthodoxy of all his shots. On quality it was 10/10," Manjrekar wrote on X. After Shreyas returned to the dressing room, Gill took the mantle to take India past the finishing line. He perfectly blended defence and attack in his 87(96), leaving India a couple of steps away from victory. "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!" Manjrekar wrote on X. After sealing a 4-wicket win in the series opener, India will look to take an unassailable lead in Cuttack on Sunday. (ANI)
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