IND vs ENG 2025: Sanjay Manjrekar calls Shubman Gill 'lambi race ka ghoda' after Nagpur heroics

Shubman Gill sacrificed his opening slot for Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first ODI against England, held at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, on Thursday, February 6. Coming out to bat at No. 3, the Punjab-based batter scored a brilliant 87 off 96 balls, as India won the match by four wickets with 68 balls to spare.

Chasing a 249-run target, the hosts lost their openers Yashasvi and Rohit Sharma with just 19 runs on the board. However, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer put on a whirlwind stand of 94 runs off just 64 balls, to put India in a commanding position. While the Mumbai-based batter was the more flambouyant batter in the partnership, Gill was quite content in playing second fiddle.

After Iyer was dismissed for a 36-ball 59, the Fazilika-born formed a 108-run partnership with Axar Patel, which played an important role in India's victory. After Patel was dismissed for a 47-ball 52, Gill looked set to take the Men in Blue home, while inching closer to a century at the same time. Hence, he tried to get to his landmark in a hurry but he perished in the process.

Eventually, the well-set batter got out for a well-compiled 87 off 96 balls. At that point, the hosts needed 14 runs to win and the duo of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja completed the run chase. After the match, the former India cricketer and renowned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, praised Shubman after his solid knock, saying that the Punjab batter will be there in Indian cricket for a long time.

"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 his 'X' handle.

Check out Sanjay Manrekar's latest post here:

Its never really about economy: Sanjay Manjrekar

Earlier in the day, England got off to a breezy start after Phil Salt and Ben Duckett took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners. Debutant Harshit Rana was hammered for 26 runs by his former Kolkata Knight Riders teammate, Salt. However, the youngster bounced back strongly and claimed the wickets of Duckett and Harry Brook in his following over.

Also Read: IND vs ENG 2025: Shreyas Iyer had to cut short movie night after selection call from Rohit Sharma

In his third spell, Harshit got the better of the dangerous Liam Livingstone. As a result, He eventually finished with figures of 3/53 in seven overs.

Furthermore, Sanjay Manjrekar opined that the economy rate doesn't matter too much if bowlers are able to pick up crucial wickets. Harshit did just that against England in the first ODI.

"Its never really about economy. Harshit Rana was the most expensive Indian bowler, but he got three crucial wickets and in many ways, sealed the game for India to win at the halfway stage," he concluded his post.