Renowned former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has expressed admiration for the skilled Indian batsman Shubman Gill following his consecutive half-centuries in the initial two ODIs against Jos Buttler's team. Despite experiencing a challenging phase in red-ball cricket recently, Shubman has demonstrated remarkable consistency in the 50-over format, playing a pivotal role in India's ODI series victory over England. Indian captain Rohit Sharma also praised Shubman as a refined player, particularly highlighting their 136-run partnership during the post-match presentation after the second ODI.

The 25-year-old, who has recently been appointed as the ODI vice-captain, scored 60 runs off 52 deliveries on Sunday. Although he fell short of reaching a century and was dismissed by Jamie Overton, his performance garnered positive remarks from Pietersen, who was commentating during the match. Pietersen elaborated on what makes Gill a challenging opponent for bowlers.

"I mentioned the importance of a trigger when transitioning to higher levels of cricket, especially against fast bowlers. It is essential to establish a rhythm, and Shubman has begun to do just that in his batting. This development has enhanced his performance. What makes him particularly daunting for bowlers is his capability to execute the pickup shot and the punch shot off the back foot, as bowlers cannot afford to bowl short," Pietersen stated during his commentary for Star Sports.

Throughout his innings on Sunday, the 25-year-old opted for the aerial approach only once, hitting nine boundaries. He also displayed fluidity in the series opener, where he scored 87 runs but missed out on a century. In Nagpur, he was dismissed after playing a reckless shot, having struck 14 fours.

‘Shubman Gill will wanna get the 100 like Rohit Sharma’

Pietersen emphasized that he has observed significant progress in Shubman's game and noted that he possesses the ambition to achieve centuries akin to Rohit Sharma, who accomplished this feat in the second ODI at Cuttack.

To succeed, he must either deliver a full attack targeting the top of the stumps or ensure that his bouncer is exceptionally effective. He has made significant improvements in this match and will strive to continue his development. His goal is to avoid scoring 60 runs only to be dismissed; instead, he aims to achieve a century similar to Rohit's, Pietersen remarked.

In the meantime, bolstered by Rohit's splendid century and Shubman's elegant fifty, India secured a commanding 2-0 lead over England with a four-wicket victory in the second ODI. Rohit Sharma's impressive innings of 119 runs made the 305-run target relatively easy for the hosts, as the English side struggled to mount a serious challenge.

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