"When a team picks you, they think about a lot of things" - Gujarat Titans all-rounder Gurkeerat Singh Mann ahead of IPL 2022
Gurkeerat Singh Mann has been a stalwart of Punjab in domestic cricket and continues to be one of their most important players. Having made his international debut for India in 2016, Gurkeerat has since been making waves in domestic cricket, waiting for a national call-up.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a stage that fast-tracks a player to represent India on the biggest stage. Gurkeerat Singh Mann has featured in the IPL for a long time but unfortunately didn't get a consistent run of chances.
However, the Gujarat Titans have recognized the potential of the 31-year-old and picked him for INR 50 lakh in the IPL 2022 auction.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Gurkeerat Singh Mann opened up on his fantastic domestic form, his thoughts on joining the Gujarat Titans and much more.
Gurkeerat Singh Mann's fantastic domestic form for Punjab
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Being one of the senior pros in the Punjab team, there was a lot of responsibility for Gurkeerat Singh Mann to consistently deliver the goods against quality opposition. Although Punjab didn't make it to the knockout stages of the white-ball competitions like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy last season, Gurkeerat set the stage ablaze.
He scored 156 runs in just five games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at a staggering average of 78, becoming the highest run-scorer for Punjab. The 31-year-old continued his form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 253 runs in five games at an outstanding average of 84.33 with a hundred and two half-centuries.
But more importantly, he is happy to be playing red-ball cricket again as the Ranji Trophy has resumed after a period of two years.
"It feels good to play domestic cricket, especially now that the days games have begun after a gap of almost two years," Gurkeerat said.
Gurkeerat Singh Mann also opened up on the changes that he made to his batting. His fantastic consistency is a testament to his desire to learn new skills and re-invent himself.
"In batting I focused more on my technique and learnt the art of patience," he said. "Many a times batters become impatient in white-ball cricket and get tempted to hit a bad shot. So I kept those things in mind and even the ball was hitting the bat nicely."
Gurkeerat was disappointed that Punjab didn't make it to the knockout phase of the white-ball tournaments. However, they have managed to win two of their three Ranji Trophy games to progress to the quarterfinals this season.
"It is important for a team to qualify and when that doesn't happen, then your performance too can sometimes get hidden. But our team has now qualified for the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy and it will resume after the IPL."
Under a new captain in young all-rounder Abhishek Sharma, Punjab cruised past the opening round of the Ranji Trophy. Gurkeerat believes Abhishek is the right man to take Punjab cricket forward.
"I think the team atmosphere is great and Abhishek Sharma, I have always felt that when given the responsibility, he has always given full effort and that reflects in his captaincy," he said. "He captained the team in junior cricket so everyone had an idea that he is a good leader."
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Gurkeerat was given a different role in the Punjab team for the Ranji Trophy. Batting at No. 5, the right-hander played some crucial cameos to prove why his experience is of paramount importance to his side.
Opening up further on his role, he said:
"I had discussed my role with Abhishek. We needed such a middle-order batter who could counter-attack in some situations to catch the opposition off-guard. So this was our plan and I told him that I can do this role."
Gurkeerat Singh Mann on playing for Gujarat Titans
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Gurkeerat Singh Mann last played an IPL game in the 2020 edition and has been waiting to get an opportunity since. However, he wasn't disheartened as he focused on delivering consistent performances in domestic cricket.
Mann's sensational form caught the eyeballs of the Gujarat Titans and the 31-year-old is glad that his efforts have been recognized. On getting the opportunity to play for the Titans, he said:
"I haven't got an opportunity in the IPL from the past couple of years and when a team picks you, they think about a lot of things. They take everything into consideration. Now that the Gujarat Titans have showed faith in me, I am very excited for that."
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The Gujarat Titans will be starting their preparations for the IPL 2022 season with a camp at Motera from March 17. Gurkeerat Singh Mann is excited to work with all the coaches, especially Gary Kirsten as the duo worked together when the Punjab player was at RCB.
"Yes, I got a call from Vikram Solanki and Ashish Nehra about the camp," he said. "I am looking forward to working with everybody. Coach Gary Kirsten was there with me as a coach when I was at RCB and it was great working with him. I will interact with everyone."
"I have always wanted to contribute as an all-rounder" - Gurkeerat Singh Mann
Gurkeerat Singh Mann has shown his versatility for Punjab by batting wherever the team needed him to. He believes he has the game to adapt to different situations and will be open to batting anywhere for the Titans.
"From my side, I am open to bat at any position," he said. "In T20s if you bat in the top order, then obviously it is a very good thing. But I don't mind batting at any order. It is a very good opportunity for me. We have other players too like Vijay Shankar."
Gujarat Titans have made some solid signings like Mohammed Shami and Lockie Ferguson to go with their draft picks like skipper Hardik Pandya, all-rounder Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill.
Gurkeerat believes the Titans have the makings of a great squad and feels they can go deep into the tournament with consistent performances from their stars.
"Our team has a great balance according to me," he said. "Hopefully, the right people will click at the right time. Even smaller contributions matter a lot going deeper into the tournament. As a batter I love to bat in the top order, but I don't mind batting even at No. 5 or No. 6. In T20s I have batted at No. 3 so I love batting there also."
Gurkeerat Singh Mann has also been working on his bowling and is open to contributing as an all-rounder to the Titans. On this, he said:
"Definitely I have always wanted to contribute as an all-rounder. I have worked on my bowling and am bowling regularly. I am hopeful that if I get to bowl, I will try my best."
Gurkeerat Singh Mann on India hopes
Every domestic cricketer hopes to play for India some day and Gurkeerat is no different. The current Indian team under the leadership of Rohit Sharma hasn't been shy of handing call-ups to players with fantastic domestic performances.
Gurkeerat is thus hopeful that if he performs consistently in the IPL and continues to do well for Punjab, an India call-up might just be around the corner.
"Definitely I am hopeful because my domestic season has been good so far," he said. "If I have a good IPL season then you know nowadays a few good performances can really highlight your name. So if I do well in domestic cricket and if I get some opportunities in the IPL, then I am hopeful that my name can come anywhere."
With a number of spots up for grabs in the Gujarat Titans middle-order, Gurkeerat Singh Mann has a very high chance of getting consistent game time. If he performs to his potential, we might have another IPL fairytale in the making.