Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan showered praise on Shubman Gill after Gujarat Titans registered a 77-run win against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Saturday. Gill scored a brilliant knock of 84 runs off 44 balls and played a key role in helping GT post a par score of 229 runs on the board.
The GT skipper scored nine fours and three sixes in his majestic knock as he batted at the top of his game. The flamboyant batter added a fine opening alliance of 118 runs off 65 balls with Sai Sudharsan.
Pathan pointed out that Gill mentioned at the toss he would use Prasidh Krishna but as there was help in the surface for the spinners, he backed his spinners in the second innings.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “A simple example was at the toss, when Shubman said he would use Prasidh Krishna today. But later, he observed that the pitch was offering grip. That’s why once the 200-run mark was crossed, the game was practically over. There was assistance in the pitch. Rajasthan’s bowlers bowled poorly, but Gill understood from there that batting was not actually that easy on this surface.
“The two main spinners today, Punja and Ravindra Jadeja, had the best economy rates among all the bowlers. The rest of the fast bowlers were going at over 10 runs an over. So Gill realized that spin needed to be used here. That’s why he didn’t use Prasidh Krishna much. Instead, he brought in Sai Kishore for the first time this season and also used Washington Sundar,” he added.
Pathan highlighted that batting for 84 deliveries in the first innings, helped Gill in his leadership while defending the score.
“This shows that batter Shubman Gill is greatly helping captain Shubman Gill, and as a captain, he is growing tremendously. Credit should definitely go to Gujarat’s support staff, especially Ashish Nehra. But there is no doubt that this Gujarat Titans side carries the stamp of captain Shubman Gill all over it. Overall, very well done.”
The 2007 T20 World Cup winner said Gill has tremendously improved his game on the off-side.
“The way Shubman Gill is playing his cricket and showing improvement in his batting, there is no doubt about it. His off-side play has improved tremendously. The innings he played today was outstanding. This was his fourth half-century of the season. One thing that really stands out in his batting is how he is playing against fast bowlers. His off-side game has been exceptional. He is regularly stepping out and even hitting pacers in the air.”
Gujarat Titans will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.
