'Halwa hai na' - Fans react as Ravi Shastri picks Shubman Gill to break Virat Kohli's 973 runs record in IPL

Virat Kohli (left) Ravi Shastri (middle) and Shubman Gill (right) (Source: Twitter)

Former India head coach, Ravi Shastri asserted that Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Shubman Gill can break former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli's record of 973 runs in a single edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The former Men in Blue skipper scored 973 runs in the 2016 edition in which his side RCB finished as runners-up. He ended up on the losing side as they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), led by star Australian opener, David Warner. The 34-year-old scored at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of over 152 which included four brilliant hundreds and seven fifties. His highest score in that season was 113 against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

It is very difficult to break the record: Ravi Shastri

“He (Gill) has to be an opening batsman, because only then will he get many opportunities to score runs. “I feel, it is Subhman Gill because he is in good form and also because he plays top of the order. So he will get good number of opportunities to score runs,” Shastri was quoted as saying on Star Sports.

“The pitches are good, so if he can score 80-100 runs consecutively in two or three innings, then at that point of time only he will already have 300-400 runs. According to me, it is very difficult to break the record, because 900 plus runs is huge but one thing is opening batsmen will get two extra matches and two extra innings, so opening batsmen can only break this record if it is possible,” the 60-year-old stated.

Recently, the Gujarat franchise opener scored his maiden double-hundred of his international career and became tne youngest to do so. He is the fifth Indian to score a double hundred in One-Day Internationals after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit and Ishan Kishan. He completed his century in the T20I series against New Zealand on February 1 where he scored 126 runs off 63 balls which included 10 fours and five sixes. He is the highest run-scorer for Men in Bluei in the shortest format of the game.

Here's how fans reacted on Ravi Shastri's statement:

🤣🤣🤣

— Safa (@Kohliadore__) April 10, 2023

😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Zosr7iAGSf

— Impawan (@Impawan15422734) April 10, 2023

Forget 900 let him cross 600 first

— Bhola (@damonbeingdamon) April 10, 2023

Ravi bhai kita lagya h peg aj

— jay kansara (@jaykans10777858) April 10, 2023

If a batsman is willing to break Virat's record, he should play half of the matches at Chinnaswamy

— pollypolly (@pollykhalu) April 10, 2023

GT would finish last for shubman to overcome that record

— సురేంద్ర (@Sure_pad23) April 10, 2023

Lolaa Mutne magega Apne app hi subman ka😂😂🤣🤣 , ye record todte todtee🤣🤣🤣🤣

— ReD bAll🇮🇳 (@Cricfever1129) April 10, 2023

It ain't that easy to break that record
Seems like unbreakable for few years

— Aʙнɪ࿐♡ (@hitman_Rohit_07) April 10, 2023

He can't face 900 balls in a season

— GRU 👽 (@VenomRMFC) April 10, 2023