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Following all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s transfer to Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Titans (GT) have named young opener Shubman Gill as their new captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.
As the 24-year-old has a terrific record for the franchise in the T20 league, it was no surprise that he was picked as the new leader.
Gill has played 33 IPL matches for the Gujarat franchise, scoring 1,373 runs in the last two seasons. The batter was part of the team that lifted the trophy in its maiden season in the T20 league in 2022.
He scored a mammoth 890 runs in 17 matches in the 2023 season, averaging 59.33 at a strike rate of 157.80, with three hundreds and four fifties. Despite Gill’s brilliance, GT finished runners-up in the edition.
Ever since he started performing consistently in international cricket and in the IPL, he has been touted as captaincy material. Gill will get a chance to prove his credentials with Gujarat Titans.
With the youngster being named as the new captain of the franchise, we analyze three things Gill will have to fix at Gujarat Titans as captain in IPL 2024.
#1 Gill needs to keep the morale of the team high following Pandya's exit
Gujarat Titans might not admit it, but losing Pandya, the captain is definitely a big setback. The team has been built around his leadership and the shrewd manner in which he managed the players.
Not a lot of critics gave GT a high chance of winning the IPL in their maiden season. On paper, their squad did not look the strongest. However, Pandya led from the front and formed a great combination with coach Ashish Nehra as Gujarat stunned much-fancied opponents to lift the coveted title in their first season itself.
The great run continued in IPL 2023 as well. Although Gujarat Titans could not spoil MS Dhoni’s party, going down to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a rain-hit final in Ahmedabad, they did commendably well to reach the summit clash for the second year in a row.
The influence of Pandya’s captaincy was again heavily evident in the team’s performance.
With Pandya gone, GT will now have to start from scratch in a sense. Gill will need some time to find his own voice as the new leader of the outfit. The big challenge for him during this phase will be to keep the morale of the team high and, at the same time, not let his individual standards drop.
Having the ability to lead a side is one skill, but implementing it on the field is something totally different. How soon Gill bridges the gap could define Gujarat’s destiny in IPL 2024.
#2 Finding a suitable replacement for Pandya in the middle order
Gujarat will have to fill the void left by Pandya not just as a captain, but as a middle-order batter as well, not to forget his bowling skills. The 30-year-old played a significant role with the willow in both the seasons that he led the Titans.
Pandya scored 487 runs in 15 matches in IPL 2022 and 346 in 16 matches in 2023. GT might find it tough to replace someone like Pandya considering his experience and T20 skills in particular.
They will look to strengthen their batting by picking some proven names at the IPL 2024 auction. However, it will be better for them if someone from the current lot takes up the anchor role that Pandya was performing for the franchise.
Kane Williamson, who missed most of the last season due to injury, could perhaps take up the part. Whether he can be as effective as Pandya is another question altogether, especially considering the fact that he hasn’t had the best of times in the IPL in recent seasons.
#3 Getting the batters to play more freely
While Gujarat Titans did reach the final in IPL 2023, it had a lot to do with the superb performance of Gill and the combined brilliance of their bowling outfit. In a number of games, their batting got stuck, which is one area they need to rectify this season.
If we review some of Gujarat’s defeats in the 2023 edition, they went from 91/2 to 177/7 in one of the matches of Rajasthan Royals (RR). Against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Ahmedabad, they were held to 125/6, chasing 131.
Then in another game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, they slipped to 103/8 in a chase of 219 before Rashid Khan (79* off 32) brought some respectability to the total.
Gill and Nehra will have to put their heads together to chalk out an efficient plan so that Gujarat Titans' batting does not end up relying heavily on the former yet again.
