ZIM vs IND 2022 | Always special to get a hundred, remarks Shubman Gill

When Shubman Gill was drafted into the starting lineup for the three ODIs against West Indies last month, there was some apprehension surrounding the youngster given he had not lived up to his promise in the past. The 22-year-old had not worn the Indian blue for 19 months straight ahead of the encounters in the Caribbean but boy has he proven the critics wrong since. A haul of 205 runs in three games won him the man of the series award, including a brilliant 98* in the final game only for rain to keep him from registering a maiden ton.

However, that shortcoming was finally overcome in the final ODI against Zimbabwe. After a long wait of 44 months since his international debut in 2019, the batter from Punjab finally managed to etch his maiden international ton, ending up with a phenomenal 130 coming off just 97 deliveries. Overall, he ended up with 245 runs on the tour, winning a second consecutive man of the series award alongside being named the player of the match in the third game.

"I was just trying to minimise my dot-ball percentage. I just tried to time the ball and not hit it hard. [On targeting bowlers] Raza, Evans were bowling well and it was crucial to target the bowlers. The bat was pretty good and that's why I changed it after my fifty as I wanted to save it. Always special to get a hundred, I had made three nineties but wanted to get a century," he was quoted saying in the post-match presentation by ESPN Cricinfo.

Gill was demoted to one-down from the second ODI onwards in order to give KL Rahul a chance to get some runs and responded with a relatively meagre 33, his lowest score since his comeback to the ODI squad. However, he sprung right back up for the game that saw India whitewash the hosts 3-0.

"It's a great bunch of players and I have been playing with them for sometime now. This one is for my dad as he has been my primary coach. I got a bit of schooling day before yesterday when I was out on 33. So this is for him," Gill added.

The top-order batter's future in the squad remains to be seen once full-time skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the side in future outings.