The Art of Chasing : How Shubman Gill 90% Control and 26 fours Destroyed West Indies

Chasing 406 against West Indies at Guwahati Indian caption Shubman Gill played one of greatest ODI knocks ever an unbeaten 223* off just 133 balls . This was the fastest double hundred in ODI history , coming in only 117 balls and it helped India complete its biggest ever ODI chase

What made this innings special was not just the runs but the complete control . Gill batted with 90% control and hit 26 boundaries , which shows his perfect technique

1 . Breakdown of His key shots

Gill 's success comes from his straight posture high bat lift and amazing hand eye coordination .

a) The Jab Pull : When West Indies bowlers bowled bouncers , he did not play a risky hook shot. He stayed tall and with quick hands , he punched the ball over mid wicket

b) The Punch Through covers : For slightly full balls he did not take a big step . He just leaned forward slightly and with a high elbow he timed the ball beautifully through extra cover.

C) Use of Feet Against spin : Against spinners he came down the track to reach the ball stopped the turn . This helped him to hit clean sixes over long on and straight down the ground .

2. How He Planned The chase

Gill batted with three different plans :

Phase 1 - Strong Start in Powerplay : In the first 10 overs he proper cricketing shots and built a huge 255 run partnership with Rohit Sharma. He completed his hundred in just 62 balls

Phase 2 - Middle Over Control : After Rohit got out he rotated the strike and found gaps to keep the scoreboard moving . He reached 150 in 89 balls.

Phase 3 - Final attack : During end game Gill completely changed gears . He anticipated the variations like wide yorkers and slower short balls and countered them by creating room deep in his crease turning them into slot balls for boundaries over the leg side and cover region.

3. What we can Learn From This Innings

Head Still , Eyes on Ball : Even while hitting big his head was perfectly balanced at the time of contact

Smart Wrist Work : He did not depend only on power . He used his wrists at the last moment to get boundaries in the third man region .

Adopting to old ball : When the ball become soft he used more power in his downswing instead of just timing .

This Knock teaches us that a big chase is won by patience , placement and planning not just by power hitting .