Three sixes in Madhwal over told Gill 'maybe this is my day'

Shubman Gill's third century of the season - a 60-ball 129 - has put Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 final, their second appearance in the title round in just their second year in the tournament. But for someone who scored at a strike rate of 215.00, with seven fours and ten sixes, the feeling of "this is my day" came only in the 12th over of the innings, which started with him on 59 off 37, when he hit Akash Madhwal for three sixes in a 21-run over."For me, it's all about playing ball to ball, assessing the situation over by over," Gill said on the official broadcast after his Player-of-the-Match performance. "Maybe the over in which I hit three sixes, that's when I got the momentum to go big and I realised maybe this is my day and I have to make it big, because it is a good wicket to bat on."Gill doesn't come across as a six-hitter - he was No. 42 in the list of six-hitters in IPL 2022 - but has become one - he has 33 sixes this year, joint-second-highest with Shivam Dube and only behind Faf du Plessis' 36. Is the change a conscious one?"[Six-hitting] is not a conscious decision. Obviously, you keep practicing, you want to keep growing, want to keep evolving as a batsman," he said. "But I feel the belief is more important and that's what I have had this year and the last year as well."Gill is in the middle of a purple patch. In international cricket this year, he has one Test century, three ODI centuries (including 208 against New Zealand in Hyderabad) and one T20I century, and averages 51.33, 78.00 and 40.40 in the three formats respectively. Cut to the IPL, and he has the Orange Cap now, for a total of 851 runs so far, scored at an average of 60.78 and strike rate of 156.43. And this was his third century in his last four innings."It helps when you are coming off a good international season with runs under the belt," he said. "With me, I know it's about starting [well]; I know once I start, I can keep going."Last year, from the West Indies tour, that's when I shifted gears. I got injured in 2021 leading up to