'He is beautiful to watch on the eye; good bat swing, very languid style, magnificent to watch.'
After registering a seven-wicket win over SunRisers Hyderabad in Saturday's IPL match in Abu Dhabi, Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Shubman Gill, who scored an unbeaten knock of 70 runs, said he practiced power hitting in the last couple of years.
Chasing 143 runs, Gill guided his side to their first victory in the ongoing tournament. He opened the innings with Sunil Narine (0) and remained unbeaten as KKR won with two overs to spare.
His knock was studded with two sixes and five fours. He was named 'Player of the Match' for his spectacular performance. The 21-year-old shared a 92-run unbeaten stand for the fourth wicket with Eoin Morgan, who was also unbeaten, scoring 42 off 29 balls, including two sixes and three fours.
"I think the ball was not spinning much and was easy to hit down the ground. I have practiced power hitting in the last couple of years. I think it was important for us to win.
"We bowled really and we had to back it up with a good performance. There were not any long conversations with Morgan. We were just trying to anticipate what the bowlers can try and do. As an opener, it is my duty to see my team through," Gill said at the post-match presentation.
Morgan said it is a nice feeling to get the team's first win of the season after going down to Mumbai Indians.
"Nice feeling to get a win under our belt. It is a long tournament, but, obviously, this win helps us get some momentum and confidence going. We were a bit rusty in our last game against Mumbai Indians, but we won this match with our bowlers; they did a great job restricting a very strong Sunrisers batting line-up," Morgan said.
Speaking about his partnership with Gill, England's limited-overs skipper said he 'deserves all the success'.
"I did not have to tell him a great deal, to be honest. He is beautiful to watch on the eye; good bat swing, very languid style, magnificent to watch. He is a good kid, very hungry to learn and I would love to bat with him once again. I think he deserves all the success," he added.
