"If Gujarat Titans go on to play the playoffs and reach the final, I might get a chance to play for India in WT20" -Shubman Gill on his IPL 2022 aspirations
Gujarat Titans (GT) batter Shubman Gill believes if the franchise make a deep run in IPL 2022, he might be in contention for a place in the T20 World Cup later this year. The youngster is yet to feature in T20Is for India despite faring well in the IPL since 2018.
Gill was the third-choice draft pick for the Titans after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. The former U-19 player was roped in by the new franchise for Rs 7 crore.
To new beginnings 🏏 @gujarat_titans https://t.co/yLM708uSvL
The Punjab-born player feels there is no need for him to change his approach with the Titans despite the Indian T20I team having a settled pool of openers. Gill said in an interview with PTI in this regard:
"I feel as a player what’s most important for me is to do my job well for the team (Gujarat Titans), and I think if I am able to do well, then it is also doing well for myself. And if we (GT) go on to play the playoffs and reach the final, I might get a chance to play for India in WT20."
KKR roped in the services of Gill, fresh off his exploits at the 2018 U-19 World Cup. The two-time champions had a relatively successful opening pair of Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine, leaving the youngster to bat in the lower-middle order.
Speaking of his evolution from a No.7 batter to an opener, Gill said:
"I started my IPL career with KKR batting at numbers 6 and 7. The first whole year (2018), I batted at No. 6 and may be once, if I remember did I open the innings in 14 games. I think I batted at No. 4 once that season."
Noting that he is open to donning any role the franchise asks him to, Gill added:
"In the second year, I batted at No. 7, and it was the third year really, when I got to open the batting. If you ask me what I prefer, I would love to bat at the top order, but if the team wants me to do a different role, I (am) game for that."
Most Top-scores for the team in the last 2 IPL seasons
12: Shikhar Dhawan
10: Shubman Gill
10: KL Rahul
09: Ruturaj Gaikwad
09: Devdutt Padikkal
09: Faf du Plessis
#IPL2022
The 22-year-old cemented his place at the top of the order for KKR but could not find a place on their retention list. He has played 58 IPL games thus far, scoring 1417 runs at a strike rate of 123.
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"I am always looking forward towards that next opportunity" - Shubman Gill
Following a stellar start to his international career n the famous tour of Australia a year ago, Shubman Gill fell down the pecking order after a poor home campaign. To exacerbate matters, he suffered an injury that ruled him out of the away Test series against England.
Terming the second leg of IPL 2021 as a huge motivation factor during his days of rehabilitation, Shubman Gill said:
"When I was injured, I was really looking forward to what we have next, and IPL was coming up. During 2021, I had (a) really bad first phase of IPL in India, and also as a team, we hadn’t done well. But knowing that we have another opportunity to make a comeback, may be winning six out of seven games, that challenge motivated me."
He added:
"What really motivates me when I am not able to perform is the next opportunity that comes along. I am always looking forward towards that next opportunity - both for myself and for my team."
The young batter will play for a new IPL team in 2022. With Jason Roy ruled out of the tournament, Shubman Gill is expected to have a new opening partner in either Rahmanullah Gurbaz or Matthew Wade.