Shubman Gill’s on-field presence as a leader came to light during our first clash against the Punjab Kings this season at home. Gill, who was playing his fourth match as the captain for the Gujarat Titans, rotated the bowlers well to make sure the match went down to the wire. After a tough battle in the middle overs, he handed the last over of the game to young Darshan Nalkande. Nalkande bowled his heart out in the final over, which surely would have made his captain proud. 

However, the 25-year-old’s efforts fell just short as the Kings managed to get over the line. But despite the loss, Captain Gill’s actions on the night helped solidify his credentials as a fine leader in the making.

Our captain was seen encouraging Nalkande between deliveries and after the game, he was the first to approach Nalkande with words of comfort. Still early into his time at the helm of our Gujarat Titans, our 24-year-old skipper showed enough maturity in the match and led the team with class.

In the away game against the same opponents Captain Gill was seen backing our bowlers and taking some crucial reviews. His keen eye and faith in the players resulted in a couple of important wickets.

The captaincy pressure? No problem

While our young leader is learning the ropes of captaincy, it’s a delight to see that the weight of leadership hasn’t had a say on Shubman Gill, the batter.

 

 

 

 

 

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Just like the last season, where he left off, our Captain Gill has started this season on a bright note with the bat. This season, Gill is already among the leading run-scorers for our side once again. It is safe to say that he is leading from the front. 

This isn’t surprising given his impressive previous stints as a leader. He was the vice-captain of the U19 World Cup-winning Indian side of 2018. His stint as the skipper of the Punjab domestic team during the 2019-20 Mushtaq Ali trophy where the team won both matches under his leadership also presented a strong example of his leadership ability. Gill was also the captain of the India A side that toured New Zealand and won all of the ODIs they played against the hosts.

In the IPL, his recent heroics against the Punjab Kings, an unbeaten 89 off 48 balls, showed that he is applying himself to play the long innings once again this season. 

Nehraji’s stamp of approval

It’s no surprise that the start of Shubman Gill’s era at Gujarat Titans was well received by fans and critics alike. But one must tip their hat to our master tactician, Ashish Nehra, who has backed our young skipper throughout this journey.

“We have seen how Shubman Gill has been playing for 3-4 years and how he has shaped up. Even at this young age, he has a good head on his shoulders," Nehra would tell the Times of India ahead of our campaign this season.

 

 

 

"I am not someone who will always go by results. There are so many other things too. Yes, everyone strives for results. But when it comes to captaincy, you must see different things. We are very confident that Shubman is the right guy."

United as one – The Titans family

On the field, our players have also enjoyed the comfort that Captain Gill brings to the team. Be it his astute understanding of the game or his ability to plot strategies against the opposition on the go, Gill has taken to captaincy like a fish to water.

“Shubman’s talent is out of this world. He’s such a gifted cricketer and incredible to watch. He makes it look very easy. So that’s exciting. He has a great cricketing brain and is a young guy with a lot of energy,” our Kiwi Supreme Kane Willamson told CricketNext in a chat ahead of the season.

Meanwhile, for Williamson’s Trans-Tasman neighbour Spencer Johnson, Gill’s off-the-field demeanour made all the difference ahead of his debut against Mumbai Indians in our opening game.

 

 

Caption: Captain Gill has played a key role in helping our latest recruits settle into the squad.

“Shubman is unbelievable. He sat next to me on the bus trip. He was calming me. We talked through the game. As a young captain, he's unbelievable,” Johnson said following a fine show in his debut match.

Gill firing on all cylinders with the bat is a good sign for us. And his impressive decision-making under pressure has everyone standing up to take notice.