3 reasons why Shubman Gill as GT captain for IPL 2024 is the right move
Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. The Titans made the announcement on their social media handle on Monday, November 27. Gill is the third player to lead the Titans in IPL after Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan.
Pandya was the full-time captain of the Titans in IPL 2022 and 2023. Under his leadership, GT clinched the title their debut season and finished runner-up in the next edition of the IPL.
Despite enjoying immense success, Pandya desired to leave GT and join the Mumbai Indians (MI) for IPL 2024. The Ahmedabad-based franchise obliged by trading the all-rounder to MI.
While most fans expected GT to name vice-captain Rashid Khan or former IPL champion Kane Williamson as their next skipper, the Titans preferred Shubman Gill over them. Gill has never captained an IPL franchise before, but here are three reasons why appointing Gill as the GT captain was the right move.
#1 Leading an IPL team can help Shubman Gill become a better cricketer
Players like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya improved a lot when they received the extra responsibility of leading a team. Shubman Gill also has enormous talent, and perhaps, captaincy can help him improve his game even further.
Gill won the Orange Cap award in IPL 2023. If the youngster continues to score big while handling the leadership pressure, he will become a better cricketer and also be a candidate to lead the Indian cricket team in future.
#2 Shubman Gill is quite popular in Ahmedabad
Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan are among the most-loved foreign cricketers in India, but Shubman Gill is much more popular than them when it comes to the local fans of Ahmedabad. The reason behind it is that Gill has scored heaps of runs in Ahmedabad.
Whether he is playing for the Gujarat Titans or Team India, Gill has fantastic numbers at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Since he has entertained fans in Ahmedabad so much, he is a recognizable face, which would benefit the franchise.
#3 The gamble of a new captain has worked wonders for Gujarat Titans in the past
The Gujarat Titans raised quite a few eyebrows when they appointed Hardik Pandya as their first IPL captain in 2022. Pandya was on a long injury break, and most importantly, he never captained a team before at this level.
The gamble worked like magic for the Titans as Pandya led the team to two finals in as many seasons. GT have taken another risk by preferring to appoint Shubman Gill as the new skipper instead of assigning the reins of the team to seasoned pros like Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan.
Also, by appointing an Indian captain, GT's team management has ensured that they do not face any dilemma while selecting foreign players in the playing XI. At times, IPL teams have been forced to back an out-of-form foreigner and pick him in the playing XI because he is the captain of the team.