ODI World Cup 2023

’65 balls hi khela hai’ – Fans react as Shubman Gill returns to dressing room due to cramps in semifinal against New Zealand

Virat Kohli scored his first fifty in ODI World Cup knockouts.

Shubman Gill returned to the dressing room due to cramps after a brilliant half-century against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2023 semi-final clash. Under scorching heat and humidity, Gill struggled to play in the middle, given how difficult it was to run in the middle. Wankhede Stadium was buzzing, but it was very difficult to bat out there in the middle. It forced the youngster to return to the dressing room, which asked Shreyas Iyer to replace him in the middle.

India won the toss and opted to bat first. Rohit Sharma gave a blazing start to India with the bat. His 47(29) was entertaining and very impactful for India. It took the pressure off Gill from the other end and helped India to post 71 runs for the first wicket in a very quick time. After the good start, Virat Kohli continued the innings of India along with the young batter.

While Virat took some time to get settled, Gill played his shots and entertained the crowd. The Indian opener scored 79 runs in 65 balls, which included some authoritative drives and huge sixes. Against the spinners, Gill used his feet and looked full of impact. The knock of Gill kept spinners out of the game. It allowed Virat to play his natural game of running between the wickets.

Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill (Source: Twitter)

Cramps force Gill to return to the dressing room

While Virat looked comfortable in converting singles to doubles, Gill was tired in the middle. The condition in Mumbai is not so conducive to play. Humidity and temperature are high. Gill did try to play a lot but could not sustain longer. After boosting the run rate of India, Gill opted to be declared retired hurt. Fans seemed visibly disappointed, as Gill played very well till that point.

After Gill returned to the dressing room, Virat kicked on. As Iyer got going from his end, Virat played his shots as well. Against the pacers of New Zealand, Virat used the crease and pace well. The experienced batter looks strong for a big knock. With Iyer going well at the other end, Virat seems to be under less pressure as well.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the news – 

 

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