What Kevin Pietersen wants Shubman Gill to do after India vice captain’s half century

While Indian captain Rohit Sharma was the top scorer for India with a 99-ball knock of 119 runs during India’s four-wicket win over England in the second ODI against England at Cuttack on Sunday, vice-captain Shubman Gill hit the 15th half-century of his ODI career with a 52-ball knock of 60 runs. It was Gill’s second half-century of the series and it also meant that the 25-year old now has six half-centuries in his last 14 ODI innings. Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen believes that the youngster will now want to keep improving further in his career.
“What makes him even more intimidating to bowl to, is his ability to just play that pickup shot, that little punch shot off the back foot, because a bowler can’t just hover short of a length. What he’s is get a full attack at the top of the stumps or his bouncer has to be very, very good. So, he’s improved this game. He will want to keep improving, he will want to stop getting 60 and getting out. He will want to get the 100 like Rohit,” Pietersen said on Star Sports.
Gill’s last hundred came in September 2023 during the second ODI against Australia ahead of the ICC World Cup in India. In the World Cup, Gill amassed 354 runs in nine innings at an average of 44.25 with a best score of 92 runs. Since that, Gill has played in five ODIs with an average series against Sri Lanka last year. Gill, who has a career ODI average of 58.92 with a. total of 2475 runs in 49 ODIs, faced England bowlers Gus Atkinson and Saqib Mahmood with ease and Pietersen believes that bowlers will face challenges while bowling against Gill.
“I talked about a trigger when you get into big boy’s cricket and you face the faster bowlers. You need a set yourself and it’s a start that he’s now started to take when he’s been batting. I think that it’s improved the way that he’s played. I think it’s improved him as a player, and it’s calmed him down because it’s given him a little bit more time. So the technical change in that adjustment that Shubman Gill’s made has made him into a quality player,” shared the former England cricketer.