‘Sometimes we have to stop him. I get scared’ – Hardik Pandya reveals what the GT dressing room thinks of Shubman Gill

Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill. (Photo Source : BCCI/IPL)

Gujarat Titans (GT) qualified for the Indian Premier League 2023 Final after defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 62 runs on Friday, May 26 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. GT’s top-order powerhouse, Shubman Gill shone with his third century of the season, striking 129 off just 60 balls. His blistering innings not only scripted an enormous win for the reigning champions but also resulted in him overtaking Faf du Plessis to claim the Orange Cap.

Gill’s century ousted Mumbai Indians from the tournament, as the latter proved no match to Gujarat’s all-round exploits. His consistency in the ongoing tournament can be well gauged from his superior position in the list of highest run scorers of the season. He has so far amassed 851 runs in 16 matches to cement his place at the apex position. He, thus, became the only second Indian after Virat Kohli to register 800 or more runs in a single IPL season. Jos Buttler and David Warner are the only other players to have achieved this feat.

However, regardless of his success, GT captain Hardik Pandya revealed that the amount of batting Gill does require the management to step in at times and stop him. He also lauded Gill’s confidence and self-belief, as the skipper opened up on the dressing room’s thoughts on Gill. 

“Sometimes we have to stop him because of the amount of batting he does. I get scared. What I’ve been liking is the confidence and the self-belief that you carry. And that’s the talk in the dressing room, ” said Hardik to Gill in response to the latter’s revelations on how he gave effect to the jaw-dropping transition from the first to the second half of the tournament. 

I knew it was about getting that one hundred: Gill

Gill indulged in a light-hearted conversation with his skipper after the conclusion of the high-voltage Qualifier 2 and revealed what worked for him to find himself among centuries with impeccable consistency.

“In the first half of the IPL, I was getting those starts but wasn’t able to convert them. So, I knew, it was about getting that one hundred. And once I get that, it’s all about the mental switch. And then you start thinking differently, playing differently and that’s what, I think, has worked for me,” Gill told Hardik.

Speaking further about his work behind the scenes, Gill mentioned that it was very important to be strong on the basics, and how he worked to ensure that for himself.

“When you play too many matches, I feel, things change but you don’t realise. Because you keep trying different things while playing. And if you don’t work on your basics, then you know how cruel this game can be. Three games and if you are not scoring, you feel like, ‘Shit! Where are you in this game? I keep trying to work on my basics. I keep going back to work on my backlift and head position so that there is a habit of me being in a good position and not getting carried away with bad habits,” he added.