IPL 2024: "It's not going to quite sink in" - Shubman Gill on being appointed Gujarat Titans captain

Star India opener Shubman Gill will lead the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The announcement came following their former captain Hardik Pandya’s departure. However, reacting to his appointment, Gill said that it won’t completely sink in till they play their first match of the IPL 2024. Gill also stated that leading an IPL team is a dream come true for anyone as well.

In a video shared by the Titans on their social media handles, Shubman Gill said: “It’s going to take probably till the time we don’t play the first match. It’s not going to quite sink in. It’s a great feeling. I was about 7 or 8 years old when IPL started. Obviously, it’s a dream for any kid who wants to be a cricketer and who wants to play in the IPL to be able to captain a team. To be able to be that kind of a binding factor in this team, it feels amazing.”

However, Shubman Gill further shared that commitment, loyalty, discipline, and hard work are the traits that he believes a captain should have. He also stated that his experience playing under successful captains will benefit him in his stint as well.

“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, and loyalty is one of them,” he continued. “I have played under great leaders and I have learnt a lot from them. I think those learnings that I have had from their experience, and playing under them will help me a lot in this IPL.”

However, Gujarat were forced to hand the leadership to someone else after Hardik Pandya was traded to his former franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) as well. Under Hardik, the Titans became champions in 2022 in their maiden edition and finished runner-up in 2023 as well. Meanwhile, the likes of Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan were expected to be the frontrunners for the captaincy duty, but the team management backed Gill to be the captain.

“There will be a lot of learnings along the way” – Shubman Gill

However, Shubman Gill also added that the presence of seasoned campaigners like Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, David Miller, and Wriddhiman Saha’s presence will be a huge help for him as well as the team.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill was in great form in this year’s IPL, smashing three centuries and four fifties. He finished as the Orange Cap winner with 890 runs from 17 games at an average of 59.33.

“We have great leaders in our team, be it Kane, or be it Rashid bhai, or be it Shami bhai, or even David and Wriddhi bhai, so it’s going to be great. Obviously, there will be a lot of learnings along the way, which is what experience is, and which will be my experience as a captain. I see a lot of people making great memories. For this shub shuruat (auspicious start), I will need your blessings and support,” Shubman Gill concluded.