The focus was on staying on and scoring as much for the team: Shubman GIll

Shubman Gill has recently been a class act while opening the batting in One-Day Internationals. But, in front of 31,187 spectators at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, Gill's star in ODIs rose even higher when he smashed a sensational 208 off 149 balls, propelling India to 349/8, which proved to be a winning total.

Gill has been talked about as the next backbone and future star of the senior men's team batting line-up since being named Player of the Tournament in India's victorious run at the 2018 U19 Men's World Cup in New Zealand.

Despite justifying the talk with a consistent 2022, his place in the ODI side was being called into question because Ishan Kishan, who hit 210 while opening the batting against Bangladesh in Chattogram, was moved down the order to make room for Gill.

But, under the skies of Hyderabad, on a two-paced pitch, Gill dazzled with an opening masterclass in which he was in complete control of his strokeplay and ran hard to leave fans spellbound with his 208.

"Obviously, the double-century against New Zealand means a lot to me. I thought I was ready for a big score in the first ODI against Sri Lanka and the third ODI against Pakistan, but that didn't happen for me. Once I was here, my main goal was to be there for the team and score as many runs as possible. It also feels good when it pays off "Gill stated during the post-match press conference.
Gill also stated that as a batter, he aspires to be consistent in ODIs. "Everything revolves around consistency. One of my goals is to achieve this. Consistency as a batsman is critical in any format. It feels good to do things repeatedly over a long period of time."

One of the most exciting parts of his knock occurred near the end of the Indian innings. In the 48th over, Gill broke a run of four boundary-less overs by smashing sixes over leaping long-on and square leg off Blair Tickner.

Gill reached his double century in the 49th over off Lockie Ferguson, smacking a hat-trick of sixes over fine leg, long-off, and straight down the ground. The loud roar was filled with joy, and he waved his bat in delight as the crowd chanted his name. He acknowledged the cheers by gently bowing after his hundred, and when he reached the double century, Uppal's euphoria reached a peak.

"First I decided to go hard in the last five overs. But with Washington (Sundar) getting out in the 44th over, then the message was to go hard in the last three overs. I think in the 46th or 47th over, I hit a couple of sixes and that's when I decided to go hard because I thought that bowler was my match-up."

"Not a conscious effort (to keep batting aggressively), I would say, but with an extra fielder inside the circle, we see other teams pushing in the middle overs. Even when wickets were falling, my main focus was to show some intent to the bowler because it becomes very easy for the bowler to be able to bowl dot balls if the batsman is not going to show any intent that he's going to hit any boundaries -- even if we have lost a wicket. So that was my intent -- even when wickets were falling to show the bowler that I will hit you if you're going to bowl bad balls."

Among the many well wishes on social media, one from former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who said it was a proud moment for him and Gill's father took the cake. "It feels fantastic. Yuvi paaji has served as a mentor and a big brother to me."

"During and after the lockdown, he talks a lot about my batting and how we can improve it. Since I began playing cricket, my father has been my primary coach. Making Yuvi paaji and my father proud is a special feeling for me "Gill came to a conclusion.