ANI
Mumbai, May 28
Legendary Indian cricketer ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar lauded Gujarat Titans’ record-breaking star Shubman Gill for his outstanding performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and stated that the GT opener’s exhibition of batting in this season “has been nothing short of unforgettable”.
Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will lock horns in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, making this GT’s second successive final and CSK’s 10th, the most by any team in league’s history.
Gill currently holds the Orange Cap in IPL 2023. He has scored 851 runs in 16 matches at an average of 60.78, with three centuries and four fifties. His best score is 129. His runs have come at a strike rate of 156.43. Gill’s wicket will be a prized one for CSK and the batter will hope to hit big one last time this season and try overtaking Virat Kohli’s tally of 973 runs in a single season, which was back in 2016.
Taking to Twitter, Tendulkar lauded the GT opener and said that out of Gill’s three centuries his two tons left an indelible impact. He slammed a ton against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) which helped Mumbai Indians clinch a spot in the playoffs, while Gill’s other century against MI crushed Mumbai’s hopes in Eliminator and knocked them out.
Tendulkar lauded the GT opener and wrote, “Shubman Gill’s performance this season has been nothing short of unforgettable, marked by two centuries that left an indelible impact. One century ignited @mipaltan’s hopes, while the other dealt them a crushing blow. Such is the unpredictable nature of cricket! What truly impressed me about Shubman’s batting was his remarkable temperament, unwavering calmness, hunger for runs and astute running between the wickets.”
Notably, the legendary Indian cricketer also showered praise on MI stars Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma for their superlative performances in the IPL 2023 playoffs.
“In high-scoring encounters, there are always decisive moments that shape the outcome, and Shubman’s exceptional acceleration from the 12th over onwards propelled @gujarat_titans to a monumental total. It was a display of his capacity to seize the momentum and make a profound impact on the game. Likewise, Mumbai briefly got back into the game with @TilakV9’s blistering 24 runs against @MdShami11 and were alive till @surya_14kumar got out,” he added.
Hardik Pandya-led GT will be looking forward to defending the title that they had bagged in their debut season back in 2022. CSK will be hoping to clinch their fifth title and perhaps give a memorable farewell to skipper MS Dhoni, as this could be his last season with the Yellow franchise as speculated by many fans since the start of the tournament.
Talking about the final, Tendulkar also observed that the wickets of Gill and David Millers will be key for Chennai Super Kings to win.
“Gujarat are a formidable side and the wickets of @ShubmanGill, @hardikpandya7 amp; @DavidMillerSA12 will be key for Chennai tonight. @ChennaiIPL also bat deep with @msdhoni coming in as low as number 8, hence it could be a case of one team out-batting the other. It’s going to be an interesting Final to watch,” Tendulkar said.