After an impressive T20I series win, Team India locked horns with South Africa in a three-match ODI series. The first match has been rain affected and is currently underway in Lucknow. The match was reduced to 40 overs per side, with the visitors batting first and posting a mammoth total of 249 at the end of the first innings.
In reply, the home side have had a rusty start to their innings as they lost both of their openers at an early stage, making life difficult for the upcoming batters. While captain Shikhar Dhawan walked off after scoring just four off 16 deliveries, Kagiso Rabada uprooted Shubman Gill’s stumps to send him back to the pavilion on three.
Though Gill failed to make an impact against South Africa, he achieved a huge milestone in the process. He became the fastest Indian to reach the 500-run mark in ODI cricket in terms of innings. He managed to touch the mark in his 10th innings. So far in his short ODI career, the right-handed batter has already scored a hundred and three fifties.
The second name on the list of fastest Indians to reach 500 ODI runs is Navjot Singh Sidhu which had managed to do so in 11 innings. Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Kedar Jadhav did the same in 13 innings each.
It’s an incredible mark to achieve considering the quality of batters India have produced over the years. There is no doubt that the 23-year-old batter is one of the most talented youngsters across the globe. It remains to be seen if he can continue expressing his talent and make fuller use of it.
If Gill manages to continue his rhyme, he could throw his name on the table for the upcoming ODI World Cup in 2023. However, it’s going to be tough in the presence of the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan.
