Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill (PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill is primed to take over from now-retired Rohit Sharmaas India’s Test captain, starting with the five-match Test series against England from June 20. He has led the national team in five T20I matches and won four of them. In the Indian Premier League he has been the skipper of Gujarat Titans in 25 matches now and won 14, losing 11.So, based purely on numbers, Gill doesn’t necessarily build immediate trust.But his teammates speak highly of the 25-year-old. “He has been great as a player and as a captain. The way he goes about his work is very calm. He understands the game very well. His communication is good, (which) good for us in the team as well,” said GT’s Sherfane Rutherford in an exclusive conversation with TimesofIndia.com.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Rutherford has worked under Gill’s leadership for 11 matches now and triumphed in eight of them. “So for him, he has been doing well and as a team, we try to support him as much as we can and play our roles. And he’s a very good player. He’s going to be very important for us. Hopefully we can come together as a team and win the tournament,” added the player from West Indies, with GT chasing the title in IPL 2025.Who’s that IPL player?“I think he reads the game very well. He’s very humble. As a player that’s so young, the way he handles an IPL franchise, he definitely has a good head on his shoulders. And he’s a guy that communicates well. He wants the best for his players. And there’s no doubt that he’s going to be the next big player for India.The sentiments are similar to what Gujarat Titans assistant coach Aashish Kapoor had made for Gill. After GT’s win against the Delhi Capitals, where the Fazilka-born player motored his innings fantastically, Kapoor spoke highly of not just his form but his leadership.“I have seen him from U-16. Actually, in NCA, I have done two camps with him. So from the U-16 age group, I have seen that he used to use his brains a lot more than a lot of other guys at his age. That is one quality that is needed to be a captain. Where you can use your brains for yourself and for 10 other people. How are you going to win matches? And we have seen this,” said Kapoor.
GT’s middle order concernsAs things stand, Gujarat Titans are top of the IPL points table and despite the blip against Lucknow Super Giants, losing by 33 runs, they have a strong chance of finishing the league stage in the top-two. The fact that Royal Challengers Bengaluru also lost to an already eliminated team (Sunrisers Hyderabad) did help their cause as well.Concerningly for GT, their middle-order concerns were laid bare. In the 236-run chase, Gill (35), Sai Sudharsan (21) and Jos Buttler (33) departed with 96 runs on the scorecard. It left the onus on the scarcely tested middle order to get them past the finishing line – and fast. When Buttler departed, GT needed 140 runs from 10.3 overs. For a batting lineup whose depth had barely been tested, in large part to the prowess of the top-three, this was uncharted territory.Rutherford (38) and Shahrukh Khan (57) stitched an 86-run stand but when the former fell, it opened floodgates with 182/3 becoming 202/9 in the span of four overs.
“Cricket is basically playing your roles. Yes, our top-three have been doing the job, which is good for us. But the thing for us – in the middle – is important for us to stay hungry. The good thing for us is that we have good preparation. We normally do practice games, even though we’re not getting to bat in the middle,” explained Rutherford.“The day before the game, we did a practice stimulation, which are things that as coaches, they try to do to keep us connected to the game and make sure that we are ready. And I think it’s important for us as players to have the right mindset. We have been working hard and it’s important to just trust what you have been doing and just go and give it your best,” he added.Rutherford stressed on taking the “learnings” from the defeat after discussion within the group on what they could have done better. All those learnings will be tested for the last time in the group stage on Sunday (May 25) when they take on Chennai Super Kings at the relocated venue in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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