Not many would argue against Shubman Gill being the next big thing in Indian cricket. The youngster has already proven himself with the bat at the international level as well in the Indian Premier League. Nevertheless, with Hardik Pandya’s trade to the Mumbai Indians, Gill has now been handed over the captaincy of Gujarat Titans for the upcoming season.
Speaking about his new role for the first time, he said: “I think it’s gonna take, like, probably till the time we don’t play the first match. It’s not gonna quite sink in. It’s a great feeling.”
“We all know captainship comes with a lot of things, and commitment is one of them. Discipline is one of them. Hard work is one of them. Loyalty is one of them,” the 24-year-old told the Gujarat Titans’ social media account.
😍 From a dreamy eyed fanboy of the IPL to a captain of the Gujarat Titans! Aapdo Shubman is raring to own his latest designation! Hear his first words from a brand new chapter… 💙#TitansFAM, ready for a new era of leadership? 💙#AavaDe pic.twitter.com/vmIN7I4LQY
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) November 29, 2023
Gill has led Punjab in two T20 games and captained the India A side in six List A games. He also captained the team in four first-class matches, all of them in 2019.
The Titans’ opener has so far played under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan, Rohit Sharma and Hardik who have all tasted success in some format or the other. “I think I’ve played under great leaders and I’ve learned a lot from them, I think those learnings that I have had from their experience playing under them is gonna help me a lot in this IPL,” Gill added.
The 2022 champions have the likes of Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan in their ranks who have captained their national sides. Gill felt that he could learn a lot from experienced players as such. “We have great leaders in our team, be it Kane or be it Rashid or be it Shami, or even David, or even Wriddhiman (Saha). So, I think it’s gonna be great,” he said.
Gill starred with the bat as Titans won the title in their inaugural season. He was also their highest run-getter in IPL 2023 with 890 runs in 17 innings, which included three centuries, as Titans finished runners-up against the Chennai Super Kings.