In the Dressing Room with Shubman Gill: His Thoughts After Scoring a Century in ICC Champions Trophy 2025

New Delhi: India vice-captain Shubman Gill recently described his slowest ODI century as the "most satisfying one" after scoring a 125-ball century against Bangladesh in a Champions Trophy Group A match in Dubai. His achievement was significant for multiple reasons - it was his maiden century in an ICC event, he remained unbeaten to guide India to victory, and the chase was far from easy. Despite the eventual six-wicket win with 21 balls to spare, Bangladesh had India struggling at 144/4 in pursuit of 229 on a tough pitch where shot-making was challenging. Gill's resilience and determination in tough conditions made this century truly special for him.

“Definitely one of the most satisfying innings that I have played and my first century in ICC events. Very satisfying and very happy with the way I performed,” Gill, the Player of the Match, said in the post-match presentation.

The opener was unbeaten on 101 off 129 balls with nine fours and two maximums to his name. It was Gill’s 8th ODI century. He became the fastest Indian to reach the mark, surpassing Shikhar Dhawan, Virat and Sachin Tendulkar. But it was one of his least fluent innings. The reason? The disciplined Bangladesh bowling and the sluggish nature of the Dubai pitch. The conditions were so difficult that Gill played three dot balls even after reaching his century.

Gill’s innings was reminiscent of the 90s and early 2000s, showcasing a blend of aggression and resilience. He began with an attacking approach, capitalizing on the fielding restrictions, but as the field spread and conditions toughened, he switched to a more patient game. He stitched a solid 69-run stand in 9.5 overs with Rohit Sharma before the Indian skipper fell to pacer Taskin Ahmed while attempting a big shot, leaving India at 69 for 1.

“When me and Rohit bhai went out there, we thought cutting the ball wasn’t easy because the balls which were outside the off-stump weren’t coming onto the bat that nicely. So I thought of using my feet to even the fast bowlers and tried to go over the circle,” he said.

The partnership was very good from a game point of view, as the pitch slowed down in the middle overs, making batting a bit tougher.

Virat Kohli looked a bit over-watchful and circumspect before opening his account after facing 10 balls.

Though he grew comfortable, an uppish cut of leg-spinner Rishad Hossain ended his stay for 22.

“When the spinners came on, me and Virat bhai were talking in the middle that it’s not easy to score singles off the front foot, so we’ll try to score singles off the back foot. And it’s not easy to hit down the ground, so we just keep rotating the strike,” Gill added.

The quick wickets of Axar Patel, who was once again promoted to No. 5, and Shreyas Iyer had India at a slightly worrying 144 for four.

Rahul and Gill steer India to win
But KL Rahul, who was dropped on nine by Jaker Ali off Taskin, ensured that there were no further hiccups and played a resolute unbeaten innings of 41 off 47 balls.

Gill and Rahul added 87 runs for the unbroken fifth-wicket alliance to carry their side home.

When the going was tough, Gill said that there was a message from the dressing room to stay there till the end and make sure India reached the target with no further hiccups. “At one point, there was a bit of pressure on us. The message was sent from outside that I have to try to bat till the end and that’s what I tried to do.”