Daijiworld Media Network- Dubai

Dubai, Feb 21: India's vice-captain Shubman Gill described his match-winning century against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy as “one of the most satisfying innings” of his career.

Gill’s unbeaten 101 off 129 balls, which included nine fours and two sixes, anchored India's six-wicket victory while chasing 229 at the Dubai International Stadium. His knock helped India recover after losing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel, ensuring a steady chase on a sluggish pitch.

Expressing his emotions after the match, Gill said,

"Definitely one of the most satisfying innings that I have played and my first century in ICC events. Very satisfied and very happy with the way I performed. When Rohit bhai and I went out there, we realised that cutting the ball wasn’t easy because deliveries outside the off-stump weren’t coming onto the bat smoothly."

Gill further revealed that he adapted his approach based on the pitch conditions.

"So I thought of using my feet even against fast bowlers and tried to go over the circle. When the spinners came on, Virat bhai and I discussed that scoring singles off the front foot was difficult, so we tried to rotate the strike using the back foot."

As the chase became tricky, Gill, the world’s top-ranked ODI batter, formed an unbeaten 87-run partnership with KL Rahul (41 not out) to take India home.

"It wasn’t easy to play straight down the ground, so we focused on rotating the strike. At one point, there was pressure on us. The message from the dressing room was to bat till the end, and that’s what I tried to do," Gill added.

His two sixes in the innings proved crucial in boosting his confidence.

"The first six gave me a lot of confidence, and the second helped me get closer to my century, so both were very satisfying."

Gill’s composed innings has set the stage for India’s much-anticipated clash against Pakistan on Sunday, giving the team a confidence boost ahead of the marquee encounter.