Shubman Gill was the toast of Indian cricket on Thursday after a match-winning century against England that fuelled optimism that he can carry his blazing form into the Champions Trophy.

The vice-captain smashed 112 off 102 balls to set up India’s 142-run hammering of England and sweep the ODI series 3-0 in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Gill, who took back the opening slot from Yashasvi Jaiswal, ended the series as the leading batsman with 259 runs after his 87 and 60 in the first two wins.

He registered his seventh ODI ton in his 50th match and now has a hundred in all three international formats at Ahmedabad, home of the world’s biggest cricket stadium.

His spell comes ahead of the 50-over Champions Trophy starting 19 February in Pakistan and Dubai and after a lean patch in Tests.

He scored just 93 runs in five innings during India’s 3-1 Test defeat in Australia.

“He is still 25, so imagine what can happen in the next couple of years if we keep backing him and keep putting trust in these young cricketers in that dressing room,” coach Gautam Gambhir told reporters.

Gill was appointed deputy to captain Rohit Sharma ahead of the England ODIs and Gambhir said that he seemed to thrive with the added responsibility.

“Hopefully he can continue going forward and in the Champions Trophy as well,” Gambhir added.

Gill put on key stands including a 116-run partnership with Virat Kohli in the final England match, hitting 14 fours and three sixes.

“This [Champions Trophy] is a tournament that will make us notice Shubman Gill even more,” former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo. “At this stage he is able to balance his game of attack and defence.”

Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle, on Indian website Cricbuzz, said: “With Shubman there is never a shortage of style, class and elegance.”

India begin their Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai against Bangladesh on 20 February and three days later face arch-rivals Pakistan.

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Photo: BCCI

Shubman Gill kept up his good form with a sparkling century to help India hammer England and sweep the ODI series 3-0 on Wednesday.

Gill’s 112 off 102 balls steered India to 356 after being sent in to bat first at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

England started strongly in their reply but once left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh removed the openers, wickets then tumbled at regular intervals and the tourists were all out for 214 in 34.2 overs.

India’s domination in the white-ball series, which started with a 4-1 win in the T20Is, comes ahead of the 50-over Champions Trophy starting 19 February in Pakistan and the UAE.

Gill reigned supreme with 259 runs in three matches as he capped off the series with his seventh ODI ton after scores of 87 and 60 in the first two matches.

Gill put on 116 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli, who hit 52, laying the foundation for the total.

Shreyas Iyer also hit a 64-ball 78 as England’s bowlers struggled, apart from leg-spinner Adil Rashid’s impressive 4-64.

Captain Rohit Sharma departed for one, caught behind off Mark Wood in a disappointing outing after his 119 in the previous match.

However, Gill, who reclaimed the opening spot from Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Kohli steadied the ship.

Kohli reached a run-a-ball fifty to get back among the runs after an inconsistent Test series in Australia and raised the decibel level at a half-filled 132,000 capacity stadium.

Rashid got Kohli with a delivery that pitched in the middle and spun sharply to take the bat’s edge and was caught by wicketkeeper Phil Salt.

Gill, who hit 14 fours and three sixes, kept up the pace and put on 104 with Iyer before he was bowled off a googly by Rashid.

Iyer reached his second half-century of the series but also fell to Rashid, who struck again when he bowled Hardik Pandya after being hit for two straight sixes.

The England openers smashed 60 in 38 balls with the left-handed Ben Duckett, who hit 34, taking a liking to Arshdeep, hitting him for four straight boundaries.

Arshdeep hit back to dismiss Duckett and then Salt, for 23, in successive overs before Tom Banton and Joe Root put up some resistance in a stand of 46.

However, Kuldeep Yadav got Banton caught behind for 38 and fellow spinner Axar Patel bowled Root for 24, as the England batting fell apart.

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Photo: Surjeet Yadav/MB Media/Getty Images

Shubman Gill has dismissed India’s Test series defeat in Australia as a one-off.

Rohit Sharma’s men clinched the T20 crown in the Caribbean last year, seven months after they ended the most recent ODI World Cup at home as runners-up.

But a 3-0 Test whitewash at home to New Zealand in October-November, followed by the 3-1 defeat in Australia last month, saw star cricketers including Rohit and Virat Kohli come under scrutiny for their poor batting form.

“One series does not define the form of the whole team,” Gill told reporters ahead of the first of three ODIs against England starting in Nagpur on Thursday.

“Definitely we did not play as per our expectations in the Australian series, but still we played some good cricket,” the top-order batsman said.

“One match and one day doesn’t define us … we should keep all those things in mind.”

The three ODI matches, which follow India’s 4-1 T20I series victory over England, come ahead of the 50-over Champions Trophy starting on 19 February.

Rohit and Kohli, who both retired from T20 cricket after the World Cup win, return to the ODI set-up and Gill said the team is upbeat.

However, he also warned the three matches against a “good” England team were not a practice run for the Champions Trophy.

The 25-year-old is seen as a potential future leader for India whenever 37-year-old Rohit retires from ODI and Test cricket.

He said being deputy to Rohit had been one of the main challenges of his international career since 2019.

“I take it as a challenge to lead my way, firstly with my performance and then definitely in the field if Rohit bhai [brother] would want my opinions,” Gill said.

“What are the plans for certain batsmen, certain bowlers, how to take on certain oppositions – just learning that is a big curve for me.”

Wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been added to the ODI squad after he was named Man of the Series in the T20Is with 14 wickets in five matches against England.

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Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

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