'I wasn't looking at...' - Shubman Gill opens up on missing his century in first ODI against England

India's vice-captain, Shubman Gill, played a match-winning knock against England in the first match of the three-match ODI series in Nagpur. The hosts went on to win the game by four wickets, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Gill scored 87 runs off 96 balls, hitting 14 boundaries.

Even after a superb knock, the player missed out on a well-deserving century. Speaking to Sports18 Network, Gill opened up about missing out on his century and clarified that he wasn't much invested in the century. The batter was looking towards winning the game for the team and hence, he started playing aggressively towards the end of the game. 

"I wasn't looking at my hundred. I was looking at their field. I would've played the same way even if we had 50-60 more runs to chase," said Shubman Gill.

The openers failed to score runs, but Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer wreaked havoc on the English bowlers. Iyer scored 59 runs off 36 balls, including nine boundaries and two sixes, while Axar scored 52 runs in 47 balls. India were chasing 249 runs in the second innings, which they chased down in 38.4 overs. 

Also Watch: Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli engage in amusing conversation after winning first ODI against England

That allowed me to play sheet anchor role: Shubman Gill

Shreyas Iyer's aggressive batting helped Shubman Gill play the anchor role on the other end. Gill praised Iyer for releasing the pressure and playing a brilliant knock.

It was one of the best innings played by Iyer as he came in and started off on a good note. With Virat Kohli returning in the second game, it will be interesting to see who will be dropped from the team. 

"He was playing his shots, and that allowed me to play sheet anchor role. It is better to take a back seat when the other batter is in that type of mood. When he departed, I decided to take the matter into my hands," added Shubman Gill.