'Shubman Gill will break my world record scores of 400* and 501*’- Brian Lara

Brian Lara talked about what makes Shubman Gill so special.

West Indies batting great Brian Lara is the holder of two of the most unbreakable batting records in the world. Lara, who played for West Indies from 1989–2007, holds the record for the highest individual scores in both test and first-class cricket.

Lara scored 400* against England in a test in 2004, and before that, he had scored 501* in a county championship match for Warwickshire against Durham way back in 1994. Both of these records remain unbeaten till date, and there is probably no batter even coming close to these stats given how the red-ball game is played.

However, the legend has nominated India’s young gun, Shubman Gill, to break both of his records that he has held for more than a decade.

“Shubman Gill can break both my records. Gill is the most talented batter in this new generation. He will rule cricket in the coming years. I believe he will go on to break many big records,” Lara told Anandabazar Patrika.

“He (Gill) can do it (break my records),” Lara said again.

Gill has had a blistering start to his ODI career. He is the fastest batter to score 2000 runs in the 50-overs cricket in just 38 innings. The right-hander has already slammed six centuries and has an average of 61.37 in the format. This includes a double-ton in ODIs as well and he sits at the top of the ICC ODI rankings.

“The way he bats is superb”- Brian Lara on Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill, the youngest Indian to score a century in all formats and the youngest ever to score an ODI double century, hasn’t had the smoothest start to his test career. He has scored 966 runs in 18 matches at an average of 32, with only one century.

When asked which aspect of Gill’s batting caught Lara’s attention the most, the legendary cricketer said the youngster’s style of batting.

“Gill didn’t score a century (in the World Cup) but look a the knocks he has already played. He has centuries in all formats, has smashed a double hundred in ODIs and has also played many match-winnings in the IPL. I’m sure he will many ICC tournaments in the future,” Lara said.

“The way he bats is superb. I have immense belief in him. Have you seen how he charges down the track to hit the seamers down the ground? Unbelievable. If Gill plays County cricket then he can break my 501*. In Test cricket, he can surely go past 400. Cricket has changed a lot, especially batting. Batters play t20 leagues across the globe. IPL has changed everything. The scoring rate has gone up. So you will keep seeing big scores. Shubman will score big, mark my words,” Lara added.

Shubman Gill’s next challenge will be the tour of South Africa, where he has been named in the T20I and test squads.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.