3 similarities between Shubman Gill and Sachin Tendulkar

Team India batter Shubman Gill is considered one of the brightest young talents in the country at present. After impressing in junior cricket, he rose to prominence with a memorable showing during the 2018 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand.

Named vice-captain for the tournament, Gill won the Player of the Series by scoring 372 runs, including one hundred and three fifties, in six matches. He had an excellent strike rate of 112.38 in the competition.

The elegant right-handed batter made his ODI debut against New Zealand in Hamilton in January 2019. Subsequently, he was handed his Test debut against Australia in Melbourne during the Boxing Day Test of 2020.

Gill has scored 579 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 30.47 and 530 runs in 11 ODIs while averaging 58.88. With the main Indian white-ball squad currently in Australia, preparing for the T20 World Cup, Gill is part of the ODI outfit that is taking on South Africa at home.

Due to his amazing talent and grace in his batting, the 23-year-old is often compared to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who was also touted for great things from a young age.

In this feature, we look at three similarities in the international careers of Gill and Tendulkar so far.

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#1 Both had exactly same number of runs after seven ODI innings as opener

The youngster has been in amazing form in ODIs lately.

This is an incredible coincidence! Gill has exactly the same number of runs as Tendulkar after seven innings as an ODI opener - 351. After seven innings as an ODI opener, Gill averages 70.20. He opened the batting for the first time against Australia in Canberra in December 2020, scoring a fluent 33 off 39 balls.

In subsequent matches as an opener, he has registered scores of 64, 43 and 98* against West Indies and 82* against Zimbabwe. In the ongoing ODI series against South Africa at home, he was dismissed for three in the first match in Lucknow and 28 in the second game in Ranchi.

Tendulkar’s first seven knocks as an ODI opener were also somewhat similar to those of Gill. He notched up scores of 82, 63, 40, 63, 73, six and 24.

The Master Blaster went on to smash over 15,000 runs as an opener in ODIs at an average of 48.29 with 45 hundreds. Gill has an extremely tough act to follow.

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#2 Both impressed on their maiden tour of Australia

Sachin Tendulkar had an amazing record against Australia. Pic: Getty Images

Both Gill and Tendulkar had memorable maiden tours of Australia. The former, in fact, made his Test debut during India’s tour Down Under in 2020-21. He played three matches and scored 259 runs at an impressive average of 51.80.

The right-handed batter scored 45 and 35* on debut in Melbourne, 51 and 31 in Sydney. He reserved his best for the decider at the Gabba, where he compiled a superb 91 in India’s chase of 328. Gill played one ODI during the tour, scoring 33 in India’s win in Canberra in the third and final match of the series.

Tendulkar’s first tour of Australia came in 1991-92, just ahead of the World Cup. He was India’s leading run-getter in the Test series with 368 runs in five matches at an average of 46.

Tendulkar smashed two hundreds in the Tests, one in Sydney (148*) and one in Perth (114). He was the highest run-getter for India in the tri-series as well, notching up 401 runs in 10 matches at an average of 44.55 with four half-centuries.

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#3 Both have unbeaten 90s as opener in ODIs

Shubman Gill was left stranded on 98* in the third ODI in West Indies.

Both Gill and Tendulkar have registered unbeaten 90s to their name while opening the innings in ODIs. The former was left stranded only 98 not out in the third ODI against West Indies in the Port of Spain due to a rain interruption. He had scored a run-a-ball 98 when no further play was possible in India’s innings.

Tendulkar returned unbeaten on 96 off 104 balls in Cuttack in December 2009 in the third ODI of the five-match series against Sri Lanka. Chasing 240 for victory, Tendulkar did not get a chance to reach three figures as Lasith Malinga conceded five wides, which took India past the winning line.

Apart from Tendulkar and Gill, Kris Srikkanth, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan have also been unbeaten in the 90s while opening the batting in one-dayers.

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