'Take a bow, Prince!' - Shubman Gill’s double century powers India towards mammoth 349-run total in first ODI

Courtesy of a sensational double century (208 off 149) by opener Shubman Gill, team India has put up a massive total on board with 349 runs to defend in the second innings. The Men in Blue have crossed swords with rivals New Zealand in the first of the three-match ODI series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Opting to bat first, India skipper Rohit Sharma swiftly hit the ground running along side Shubman Gill, who headed into the contest at the back of a sublime century (116 runs) in his last outing against Sri Lanka. Despite starting off well, the skipper’s dismissal in the 13th over followed by the quick wickets of Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan put the side on the backfoot.

However, the onus was on Gill to display his excellence with the bat and he rightfully did so as the batter initially rotated the strike before shifting gears and belting a few himself. The opener maintained his form from the previous knock against the Lankan Lions and carved out yet another majestic innings, this time coming against the Kiwis.

Shubman Gill becomes fastest Indian to reach 1,000 runs in ODI cricket

The innings by the opener was surely a treat for the spectators seated in the stadium and the millions viewing the high-octane contest. Interestingly, Gill not only registered his second consecutive ODI century but also became the owner of a major milestone in 50-over cricket.

In mere 19 innings, the 23-year-old reached the 1,000 runs mark in ODIs, the fastest to ever do so in the One Day format. Not just this, Gill also surpassed the ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most ODI runs against New Zealand, as the latter held the record for a long time with an unbeaten knock of 186 runs.

As the run chase begins on the other side, the Kiwis will have to up the ante and replicate a similar innings played by Gill if they want to stay in the contest. Meanwhile, the Indian bowling unit relished a majestic outing recently against the Islanders and will now look to operate in tandem and deck the rival batting unit.

Here is how Netizens have reacted to the double centurion's knock-