IND vs NZ 2023: Shubman Gill looks like a mini-Rohit Sharma, says Ramiz Raja

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja reckons Shubman Gill looks like a mini-Rohit Sharma. Gill has impressed in his young career and recently became the fastest (19 innings) Indian batter to score 1000 ODI runs, beating the previous record held by Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan (24 innings each).

Gill has all the talent under his belt and he is making the most of his opportunities at the top of the order. The right-hander also recently became the youngest to score a double ODI century as he went on to score 208 runs off just 149 balls.

Gill continued his good form as he scored an unbeaten knock of 40 runs in the second ODI against the Kiwis. The 23-year-old has amassed 1142 runs in 20 ODI matches at an impressive average of 71.38 and a strike rate of 107.33. He has scored a total of three centuries and he has shown the potential to go a long way in his career.

“Shubman Gill looks like a mini-Rohit Sharma. He has extra time and looks good. He has enough potential. Aggression will also develop with time. He doesn’t need to change anything. He scored a double hundred recently,” said Raja on his YouTube Channel.

On the other hand, Rohit scored a fine knock of 51 runs in the run-chase of 109 as he batted at the top of his game. Rohit played a classic innings as he timed the ball to perfection.

“Batting was easy for India because they have an outstanding batter like Rohit Sharma. He plays exceedingly well. He is an amazing striker of hook-and-pull shots, so a 108-run chase becomes easy,” Raja added.

Former PCB head added the Indian batters need to tweak their technique while batting on the front foot.

“What India batters need to do, top order in particular, is the fact that their front-foot batting is looking weak. It’s easy to hit from the back foot, but once the ball is tossed up, you rely on defense, then there is some error,” said Raja.

Raja heaped praise on India’s bowling for their resurgence in the Test and the ODI formats of the game.

“India’s resurgence in ODI and Test cricket is on the basis of bowling because their batting is historically strong,” Raja added.

The third ODI between India and New Zealand will be played on Tuesday.