"I will try and corner him at some stage" - Kane Williamson's cheeky comment on GT skipper Shubman Gill ahead of IPL 2024
Kane Williamson had a disastrous start to his stint with the Gujarat Titans (GT) as he suffered a major knee injury while trying to stop a boundary in the deep in the opening game of IPL 2023 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
While that injury ended his participation that season, Williamson is fit and raring to go as one of the crucial players for GT in IPL 2024. He cheekily mentioned that he would ask the newly appointed captain Shubman Gill not to field him in that position this time.
Speaking to CricketNext, here's what Kane Williamson's reply was to the suggestion about his fielding position to Shubman Gill:
"That's a very good point. I will try and corner him at some stage."
Williamson is more than happy to help Gill with his captaincy duties. On this, he added:
"Shubman's talent is out of this world. He is such a gifted cricketer and incredible to watch and makes it all look so easy. He is really excited at this opportunity and my role is to support and help whenever he sees best fit."
Shubman Gill had an incredible IPL 2023, where he scored a mind-boggling 890 runs and won the Orange Cap. Kane Williamson shed light on how well Gill performed even for the Indian team last year and is hopeful that the youngster will bring that form and momentum into his captaincy.
Kane Williamson on his emotions ahead of IPL comeback
Kane Williamson admitted that it was a challenging time for him during his rehab from the injury last year. However, he is delighted to be back with the Titans and is looking forward to having a major impact for them in IPL 2024.
On this, he stated:
"Obviously last season I was there for five minutes. It was frustrating but it has been a great learning curve and a real process in terms of recovery and rehab after the injury. I really enjoyed my brief time here last year. So it's great to be back and looking forward to the season."
Here's what Williamson opined on the 'anchor' role that's become a topic of great debate in T20 format:
"I have never really liked the word anchor. I think everybody has a different skill-set and buy into what's required and what role they have in the team."
Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha have been quite an impressive opening combination for GT over the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see where the Titans fit in Williamson, with the talented Sai Sudharsan in the mix too. The Kiwi veteran heaped praise on Sudharsan for his performances as well as his work ethic.