From an auditory perspective, few shots match the sheer impact of a well-timed pull; the crisp crack of the bat is almost unmatched.
In India’s 2025 Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh, Shubman Gill produced a stunning pull off Tanzim Hasan Sakib, dispatching it into the second tier of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. His reaction? Characteristic nonchalance. At the other end, Rohit Sharma watched, amused — an apt measure of the shot’s quality, given his mastery of the pull.
Since 2019, only Rohit has scored more ODI runs with the pull against pacers. While he boasts a staggering 270 strike rate with the shot, Gill edges him in control.
Gill averages an incredible 95.25 when pulling against pacers in ODIs, having been dismissed only four times while playing the shot. This is the highest among batters who have scored at least 160 runs with the stroke since 2019.
The Indian opener also has the second-lowest false-shot percentage (12.0) among those with over 125 runs from pulls against pacers, trailing only Pakistan’s Babar Azam (7.5). Naturally, the horizontal-bat shot has been one of Gill’s most productive strokes in ODIs — only drives have brought him more runs.
Despite possessing a range of textbook shots, the pull, particularly the short-arm jab, has always been his signature attacking option. He typically plays the jab against not-so-short deliveries, using forward body momentum and a compact bat swing, without the usual flourish behind the front shoulder.
It’s a trait he showcased even in age-group cricket, as seen in his six against Zimbabwe at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup.
Gill’s innovation is likely a product of his height — at 1.85m, he is relatively tall for an Indian batter — allowing him to get on top of the ball with ease.
Beyond earning him aesthetic brownie points, his jab technique enables him to access the pull shot against back-of-a-length deliveries, a common defensive ploy for pacers. Since 2019, only Rohit Sharma, David Warner and Babar Azam have scored more runs with the pull off such deliveries, but none match Gill’s strike rate (258.16). However, all four of his dismissals while playing the shot have come from this length.
This style also allows him to whip balls straying outside off towards the leg side, providing an additional scoring option against wider lines. Once again, only Rohit has scored more runs pulling deliveries outside off or wide outside off in ODIs since 2019, but Gill boasts a superior average (82.66) to Rohit and anyone else with over 165 runs in these scenarios. Needless to say, the pull shot has been a key ingredient of his ODI success.
However, Gill’s reliance on the pull has also become a vulnerability. Against Pakistan in India’s second Champions Trophy 2025 group-stage match, he nearly holed out to a cleverly placed short mid-wicket while attempting the shot.
It’ll be interesting to see Australia’s game plan and Steve Smith’s field placements when Gill walks out to open the batting in the first semifinal against India in Dubai on Tuesday.
(Note: Numbers are all up to date till March 3, 2025)
