On Monday, May 15, 2023, Shubman Gill of the Gujarat Titans marked his century with jubilation during the Indian Premier League cricket match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad, India.How is it possible for a team comprising Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Dale Steyn to consistently deliver subpar performances this season As noted by former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody in a tweet last month, the teams constant changes and uncertainties have disrupted their campaign. Their current performance has left spectators perplexed due to the lack of quality. Unsurprisingly, Gujarat Titans scored 188 runs (which could have been 220) and easily defended their total. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took five wickets, three of which came in the final over, while Mohammad Shami of the Titans claimed four wickets to derail the chase.Image : https://tse2.mm.bing.net/thid=OIP.47OJZ1HOUMfa5z4NI39K3wHaE7&pid=Api&P=0&h=180Gills minimalistic swaysAfter Gujarat Titans innings, the broadcasters displayed a flip-book showcasing the boundaries scored by Shubman Gill during his century. It was a remarkable sight. What stood out was the lack of any lateral movement. Once he settled into his pre-release stance, Gill smoothly leaned back or forward, adjusting his weight based on the balls requirements. The flip book captured his swaying motion, with him skillfully chopping, jabbing, and punching the ball to various parts of the field.His game is characterised by its simplicity and lack of excessive movement, which adds to the overall aesthetic appeal. His head remains still, and his strides are minimal or non-existent, as was evident in his boundary shots on Monday. The focus is on his hand movements and subtle hip sway. In contrast, his IPL captain Hardik Pandya maintains a minimalist footwork approach but incorporates noticeable knee flexion, adding another element for the viewer to follow. Gills style takes it a step further, appearing even more restrained, and drawing attention to the finesse of his hand movements.Image: https://tse4.mm.bing.net/thid=OIP.RH-xol0EMTuXeq58omK70wHaFA&pid=Api&P=0&h=180While much has been said about his short-arm-jab pull, lets shift our focus to the chop he employs to cut the ball square on the off side. Somehow, he manages to make this aggressive shot look fluidly graceful. His wrists are already cocked in his stance, and he swiftly snaps them to execute the chop. His ability to consistently play this shot against bowlers like R Ashwin highlights his proficiency against spin in white-ball cricket. Hyderabad, unfortunately, did not possess a spinner of Ashwins calibre to truly test Gill in this aspect.Gills task was made relatively easier due to the generally poor quality of bowling from Sunrisers Hyderabad, with the exception of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Throughout the majority of their bowling innings, Hyderabad appeared lacklustre and uninspired, only finding their rhythm towards the end to prevent Gujarat Titans from reaching a potential score of 220, limiting them to 188 instead.Gills performance in Test matches has occasionally been hindered by his struggles to lean on the front foot in time, resulting in dismissals against quality pacers even on home soil (such as James Anderson and Kyle Jamieson in India). Being primarily a backfoot player due to his formative years on cement tracks, his forward play in Tests has presented challenges. However, in recent months, he has made efforts to improve his forward lean, which has translated into success in T20 cricket, as evident in his smooth weight transfer during Monday nights match. While it should be noted that the bowling attack and the quality of deliveries he faced were average, his batting was still a delightful spectacle.Once he moved past the Powerplay phase, particularly in the fourth over where he dispatched four consecutive boundaries off Fazalhaq Farooqis deliveries, it became evident that only Gill himself could prevent him from reaching a century. He continued to exhibit an array of shots, including pulls, cuts, and lofted strokes, ultimately reaching his hundred in the 19th over.
