'Go on and lead the next generation': Virat Kohli's message to Shubman Gill after his maiden IPL hundred

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli has earmarked Shubman Gill to headline the next generation of batters after his maiden IPL hundred on Monday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Kohli, taking to his Instagram story, suggested that Gill has immense potential to do so.

Gill, who became the first Titans batter to complete 1000 runs, smashed his maiden IPL hundred against the SunRisers Hyderabad. The Punjab-born cricketer reached the magical three-figure mark in the 19th over of the innings, and it came off only 56 balls. He was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the final over of the chase as Abdul Samad took a smart catch.

Taking to his Instagram story, Kohli wrote:

'There's potential and then there's Gill. Go on and lead the next generation. God Bless you.'

Shubman Gill looking forward to scoring more hundreds in IPL 2023:

After earning the Player of the Match award, Gill recalled that his IPL debut was against the SunRisers and that it's a surreal feeling to score a ton against the same opposition. The right-hander feels hitting Abhishek Sharma was an excellent moment, adding:

"My IPL debut was against SRH, now I've my IPL hundred against them. Quite pleased. It's come a full circle. Hopefully I'll get more hundreds this season. I'm not the kind of person who dwells too much about my last innings. The focus is on what's need at the moment. The most satisfying moment was to hit Abhishek for a six because he is my childhood friend."

During their run-chase of 189, the Orange Brigade lost four wickets within the power play as Mohammed Shami ran through their batting order. Eventually, they fell 34 runs short despite Heinrich Klaasen's 44-ball 64.