"Shubman Gill will be hungry to perform" - Piyush Chawla on GT opener's recent underwhelming outings in IPL 2022
Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla believes Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Shubman Gill will be hungry to perform after a few underwhelming outings in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Chawla pointed out that Shubman Gill did make a significant impact with his inspiring knocks in earlier matches. However, he also highlighted that the batter has struggled to score big in his recent outings.
Chawla suggested that the talented youngster must look to spend time at the crease and bat for a longer period of time. He stated:
"Shubman Gill did score runs in the initial matches but then hasn't been in great form. The type of player he is, he will be hungry to perform. In order to do the same, he will have to look to bat long."
Gill impressed many with his gutsy knock of 84 against Delhi Capitals (DC) in his second match of the season. He followed it up with yet another impactful performance in the subsequent clash, scoring 96 against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
However, the 22-year-old has had to deal with failures in his last four appearances. The player will be keen to turn things around in the second half of this year's cash-rich league by scoring runs more consistently.
Chawla went on to say that GT cannot expect Hardik Pandya to fire with the bat in all games. He opined that the other batters must take responsibility and chip in with valuable contributions. Chawla said:
"You cannot be dependent on Hardik Pandya in every game. He has batted exceptionally well in his last three matches but the other batters also need to step up. It won't be the case that he alone will score runs every time. Others will also have to contribute with the bat. It is wonderful to see that he has taken the responsibility of leading the team and has been doing that really well."
It is worth mentioning that Pandya has slammed three successive half-centuries in the latest edition of the IPL. With 295 runs from six matches, the talismanic all-rounder is currently the leading run-getter for his side in the competition.
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"He hasn't been getting a lot of wickets because the batters aren't looking to attack him" - Piyush Chawla on GT's Rashid Khan
Chawla suggested that star leg spinner Rashid Khan hasn't been able to claim a lot of wickets this year as the opposition batters don't counter-attack when he's bowling. He claimed that it will still be a good result for GT if he is able to bowl a miserly spell.
Chawla explained:
"Rashid Khan hasn't been getting a lot of wickets because the batters aren't looking to attack him. But it will benefit GT even if he takes just a single wicket and gives away 20-22 runs from his four overs."
Khan has an impressive economy rate of 6.50 in IPL 2022 along with eight wickets from seven matches. The crafty spinner will next be in action on Wednesday when the Gujarat-based side take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 40th league match of the season.