IPL 2026: Shubman Gill reminds Sachin Tendulkar with a Straight Drive as an Arrow - Watch

In the IPL 2026 clash at Ahmedabad, Shubman Gill unfurled a shot that screamed "class". Facing KKR's Kartik Tyagi, the GT skipper leaned into a textbook straight drive-high elbow, still head, bat coming down like a silk ribbon.

The ball raced past the bowler's outstretched hand, kissing the boundary rope with effortless grace. Glorious, elegant, pure class - exactly how the official IPL handle described it.

Now rewind to Sachin Tendulkar's signature straight drive. Whether it was against Allan Donald in 1998 or Shane Warne in 2001, Sachin's version was poetry in motion: front foot planted, wrists rolling just enough, the ball purring down the ground at 140 kmph. No ugly heave, just perfect timing that made fast bowlers look ordinary and crowds

erupt in hushed awe.

What links the two shots across 25 years? The same DNA-textbook orthodoxy wrapped in elegance. Gill's drive carries Sachin's DNA: the high backlift, the minimal movement, the ball hit so sweetly that it almost apologises to the bowler on its way to the fence. Where Sachin played it in Tests to dominate sessions, Gill deploys it in T20 to shift momentum in overs.

Shubman Gill's stunning Straight Drive

Glorious ✅
Elegant ✅
Class ✅

Shubman Gill is ticking all the boxes in Ahmedabad 👌

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- IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 17, 2026

Gujarat Titans are off to a flying start in their chase of 181 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. KKR posted a competitive 180 in 20 overs, powered by Cameron Green's gritty 79. Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada starred with the ball for GT, picking key wickets. In reply, GT reached 71/1 at the end of the powerplay.

Captain Gill has looked in elegant touch with 34 off 15 balls, while Jos Buttler joined him unbeaten on 14. Sai Sudharsan fell for 22 to Sunil Narine, as GT need 110 more runs with plenty of overs remaining. The home side remain strong favourites in this encounter.