“His biggest strength is finding the gaps in the powerplay” - Vijay Shankar on Shubman Gill

Gujarat Titans (GT) batter Vijay Shankar reckons that in-form opener Shubman Gill’s biggest strength is finding the gaps in the powerplay. He also added that the way Gill is batting right now is just unbelievable.

On Friday, May 26, Gill hammered 129 off only 60 balls against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, his third hundred in the ongoing edition.

Thanks to the right-handed batter’s heroics, GT posted 233/3 batting first. MI were then held to 171 as Gujarat booked their place in the final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

In a post-match press conference following Gujarat’s thumping 62-run win over MI, Shankar shared his thoughts on Gill’s brilliant batting exploits and said:

“In the second game of the season, I told that he has amazing work ethics and that is why he is one of the best cricketers right now. The way he is batting right now is just unbelievable. The way he practices is something really important. He does what he wants and practices with purpose and every time he turns up to the game, it is so lovely to see him switch on from ball one.

“He is able to do both. As a batter, when you know that you can hit sixes as well as rotate the strike. His biggest strength is finding the gaps in the powerplay. He can play the ball in the gaps and hit those boundaries whenever needed. He is someone with everything and knows when to do what. That’s a highlight of being a top player and he shows us how it is done.”

Gill struck seven fours and 10 sixes in his magnificent knock on Friday. In the process, he also went past Faf du Plessis to become the leading run-scorer in IPL 2023. Gill has so far smashed 851 runs in 16 matches at an average of 60.79 and a strike rate of 156.43, with three hundreds and four fifties.

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“He is pretty aggressive and chilled also” - Shankar on Hardik Pandya’s captaincy

During the press conference, Shankar also praised skipper Hardik Pandya, describing him as a leader who has the right blend of aggression and calmness.

Speaking about the all-rounder, Shankar commented:

“He is pretty aggressive and at the same time he is pretty chilled also. He wants everyone to give their best and wants everyone to enjoy the game. It’s easy to say ‘just enjoy', but when he says it, he really means it. He backs everyone, he shows confidence in every individual in this team to come out and take up those challenges, which is very important when you play in a tournament like the IPL.

“When you have backing from your captain and coach, it feels really comfortable.”

Hardik smashed a quick-fire 28* off 13 in Qualifier 2 against MI to give Gujarat’s innings the final flourish in the death overs.