India opener Shubman Gill hit a quickfire fifty on his ODI return in the first game of the three-match series against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain on Friday. Shubman Gill last featured in a 50-over game for India in 2020 vs Australia where was dismissed on a score of 33. Shubman Gill debuted for India in ODIs in 2019 but managed to score only 16 runs in two matches in his first season in national colors in the format. But unlike his past performances in white-ball cricket where he was criticized for his poor strike rate, Shubman Gill was in full flight in Trinidad as he raced through to 64 runs in just 53 balls before getting run out after West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran's excellent fielding led to his downfall. But before he left the stadium, it was his alleged girlfriend Sara Tendulkar, the daughter of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who began trending on Twitter. Several social media users posted hilarious memes and tweets to laud Shubman Gill's effort in the first ODI while mentioning his name alongside Sara Tendulkar in their posts.

“Sara Tendulkar will be very pleased after watching Shubman Gill batting tonight,” a fan said on Twitter.

“Your father must be a proud man! Well play Sara Tendulkar,” another added.

“It was all about class from Shubman Gill, a great start to the series,” a third declared.

“It takes Shubman Gill only two shots of authority to remind everyone who's India's finest young talent right now,” a fourth claimed.

“Not many can play attacking cricket with so much Timing and Class. Here Shubman Gill toying with West Indies bowlers at 140 Strike Rate,” a fifth concluded.

https://twitter.com/Abdullah__Neaz/status/1550487303935537152

https://twitter.com/Sports_Himanshu/status/1550487673021689857

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill went past Sachin Tendulkar to become the second youngest Indian batter to smash an ODI half-century in the Caribbean. Virat Kohli is on top of the list as he scored his fifty at the age of 22 years and 215 days while Gill took 22 years and 317 days to achieve the feat.

Youngest Indian to Score Half-Century in West Indies in ODIs

22yr 215d – Virat Kohli
22yr 317d – Shubman Gill
24yr 003d – Sachin Tendulkar

After a promising start to his international career, including a crucial 91 in India's historic victory in the Gabba Test in Australia, Shubman Gill's career took a nosedive and he soon lost his place in the Indian team.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had earlier described what was bogging him down in the middle.

“I think what I feel about Shubman Gill is that suddenly, the pressure of expectation is getting to him. Before this, it was different. He was just a young promising newcomer, but now with the performances in Australia, the expectation is that he is going to score, and maybe that pressure of expectation is weighing him down,” Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.

“He just needs to relax. He is just a 21-year-old kid. There will be failures and he has to learn from those failures. He's just got to open and play freely, without worrying about expectations. The runs will come if he plays his natural game. Trying to play across the line and trying to score off every delivery because of the pressure of expectation, he's actually getting himself out,” Sunil Gavaskar added.

Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri dubbed him as a “pure talent”.

“He is pure talent. That guy is one of the most talented players in the country and in world cricket, to be honest. Once he gets going he will score and he makes it look easy. He has got that punch, the time and he has got the power to play along the ground. He is just made for this format of the game. His shot selection, rotation of the strike and as he talked about himself, very few dot balls. He is very good on the short ball with the short-arm jab,” the former India all-rounder said.

“He batted beautifully again, really really beautifully. The way he timed the ball, some of the shots he played on the backfoot, the placement, the power and the ability to hit in front of square makes him a standout player. He is one of the best young players in the world. People would love to pay money to watch him bat when in full flow,” Ravi Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo.

“Very few dot balls, he rotates the strike beautifully so he is a very busy player and has the ability to put the bad ball away. He reminds of Virat Kohli at his prime – along the ground with power and making it look easy,” Ravi Shastri concluded.