Shubman Gill kickstarted his maiden Indian Premier League season as captain with a strong win last week against Mumbai Indians. In a reunion against Gujarat Titans’ former captain, Hardik Pandya, it was Gill’s side which prevailed with a narrow six-run win; however, the side endured a disappointing defeat in its second match against reigning champions Chennai Super Kings.
The Orange Cap holder from the previous season, Gill also had a quiet start to his own campaign as a batter, registering scores of 31 and 8 against MI and CSK, respectively. With a win in two games, the Titans currently stand seventh on the table but will aim to jump spots when they meet the strong Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.
Ahead of the mouth-watering fixture, Gary Kirsten, the Titans’ head coach, opened up on his initial assessment of Gill’s beginning as the franchise’s captain. Kirsten stressed that the need to make quick tactical decisions is key in a fast-paced format such as T20, and Gill is learning its art.
“It’s a fast game. You are making tactical decisions on a regular basis. It’s not like Test cricket where it unfolds over a long period of time,” Kirsten said in the pre-match conference on Saturday.
“I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s conducted himself as a leader,” Kirsten told the media on the eve of GT’s day-game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.
Kirsten said Gill, who took over as GT skipper after Hardik Pandya moved to MI, has adjusted to his role well.
“I think he’s embraced it (captaincy) really well. He’s shown some good leadership qualities. He’s a smart guy. He’s a young captain, and there’s lots to learn, especially in T20. So, he’ll learn along the way.”
‘Weren’t good enough’
Kirsten also admitted that the Titans were well below par in their big 63-run defeat against the Super Kings, which also affected their net run rate.
“As with any cricket team, you want to play to the best of your ability. We weren’t good enough that day (against CSK). I think we’ve acknowledged that and we’ve had our conversations around what we need to make sure that we are better to gain from our skills.
“Every team has different kinds of strengths and we didn’t show that in the CSK game and we just got to move on,” he said.
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