Shubman Gill, even while batting at 60 per cent, is a complete batter, indicating his longevity across all formats; however, Shreyas Iyer isn’t there yet, per cricketer-turned-broadcaster Sanjay Manjrekar. His remarks have come after Gill hit his maiden ICC tournament hundred against Bangladesh in India’s Champions Trophy 2025 opener in Dubai, helping the Men in Blue win by six wickets.

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While Gill, alongside seamer Mohammed Shami, made headlines for his match-winning performance against the Tigers, Iyer’s loose stroke cost him his wicket on 15 (while chasing), disappointing the fans and Manjrekar. 

Also read | Champions Trophy: Shubman Gill hits his slowest ton but becomes fastest to 8 ODI hundreds for India

Noting the difference between the two batters, Sanjay said, unlike Iyer, Gill will take the game right till the end and win it for his team; but even though Iyer is as talented as anyone on the side, he doesn’t give that impression.

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"He [Gill] is batting at the right position to make a huge impact. When he gets a hundred, like today, it seems like there is plenty left in the tank," Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. 

"It was like 60% of Shubman Gill is enough to get a hundred like this and he stays till the end. That is the difference between Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill that Gill will take you right till the end. He is somebody who you think is going to be around for 10-15 years. Shreyas Iyer, despite his obvious talent, doesn't give you that impression,” he continued. 

Gill scored an unbeaten 101 off 129 balls against Bangladesh, hitting nine fours and two sixes, one of which was hit off pacer Tanzim Hasan in the ninth over, which went straight into the second tier at deep-midwicket.

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"Some of the shots he played - the good-length ball he hit, and it went into second tier… the big game is at his beck and call," Manjrekar said. 

"Can he be better in 50-over cricket as a batter? I don't think so, what can be better than this?" Manjrekar noted.

‘India is blessed’

While Gill scored quickly inside the Powerplay, hitting 26 off 23 balls, he put brakes on his scoring rate just when Bangladesh introduced the spinners to the attack, completing his fifty in 69 balls – his slowest ever. The right-handed batter hit odd fours but kept rotating the strike, helping India inch closer to the win. He eventually scored his hundred off 125 balls, his slowest thus far, but his ability to change gears impressed Manjrekar.

"He's got the class to do it [change gears]. India are blessed with [a top three] who are also Test batters, so they can play different gears. Yashasvi Jaiswal, when he comes in eventually, is also a Test batter. 

“So, if the ball is swinging around in overseas conditions, they have the ability to see the new ball through and then handle the various situations. Shubman Gill is that kind of a player; he is not one-dimensional; he has all the gears, and we saw him do that today as well. 

“He is a guy at the top of his 50-over-cricket prowess, and he does it very calmly. There is an air of dominance and surety with the way he bats and finishes games,” Manjrekar added. 

(With inputs from agencies)