India’s batting prodigy Shubman Gill extended his Under-19 World Cup winning form to the domestic circuit as he smashed an unbeaten century to guide his state side Punjab to a four-run victory against Karnataka.
Playing in the 50-over domestic Vijay Hazare Trophy, Gill hit 123 off 122 balls to help Punjab post 269-3 from their quota of overs. He added 125 runs for the second wicket with Mandeep Singh (64) after Punjab lost their first wicket without a run on board.
After Mandeep got out, the 18-year-old teamed up with veteran Yuvraj Singh (36) to add 79 runs for the third wicket and help Punjab post a formidable target in Bengaluru.
In the chase, Karnataka were powered by a fine century by India international KL Rahul but the hosts fell short by four runs.
It has been a fine few months for Gill who was named player of the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand where he scored 372 runs from five innings with one century and three fifties. Therefore, it came as no surprise when he was ‘bought’ for rupees 18 million ($280,000) by the Kolkata Knight Riders during the IPL player auction last month.
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His poise at the crease and technical precision have made Gill one of the players to watch out for with many expecting him to make it to the national team sooner rather than later.
