Wriddhiman Saha vs Kane Williamson - who should open with Shubman Gill for GT in IPL 2023?
While in-form Shubman Gill is set to be one of the openers for Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2023, either Kane Williamson or Wriddhiman Saha could be his opening partner.
Defending champions Gujarat will open their IPL 2023 campaign with a match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31.
Gujarat Titans opened the innings with Matthew Wade in the initial few games last season, but the Australian keeper-batter failed to make an impact. Subsequently, GT got Saha to open the innings.
After a couple of low scores, he smashed 68 off 38 balls in a game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Saha also scored a half-century against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a losing cause.
Proving his worth yet again, the Indian keeper-batter scored his third half-century of the season as he hit an unbeaten 67 off 57 balls in a chase of 134 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The 38-year-old ended IPL 2022 with highly impressive stats - 317 runs in 11 matches at an average of 31.70 and a strike rate of 122.39.
In contrast, Williamson had a disastrous IPL 2022 season while leading Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In 13 matches, he managed only 216 runs at a poor average of 19.64 and a below par strike rate of 93.51.
Williamson registered only one half-century in last year’s edition. Released by SRH, the experienced Kiwi was purchased by the Gujarat Titans for his base price of ₹2 crore at the IPL 2023 auction.
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Comparing IPL 2022 stats, Saha has an edge over Williamson when it comes to bagging the second opener’s spot. But here’s a detailed analysis to try and figure out who between the two is the better contender as a GT opener for IPL 2023.
Williamson vs Saha - Recent form
While Saha undoubtedly had a wonderful season last year, it is important to look at his recent form as well.
Analyzing his performances in his last 10 matches, he scored 81 off 89 balls, captaining Tripura against Gujarat in a Vijay Hazare Trophy clash. Speaking of his batting efforts in the Ranji Trophy, he scored half-centuries against Vidarbha and Railways and an unbeaten hundred versus Punjab. There were a few low scores as well.
Shifting focus to Williamson, he has been in terrific form with the willow lately. The prolific right-handed batter has scored two hundreds and a double-century in his last three matches for New Zealand. But all these impressive performances have come in red-ball cricket.
If we take a closer look at his recent T20 form, he has produced good numbers in the shorter format as well. In his last three T20I games, he has scored 61 off 35, 46 off 42, and 61 off 52.
Who has the game to complement Gill better?
While Gill is in terrific form with the bat across formats, it has been observed that he needs a couple of overs to settle down before he can break free.
As such, Gujarat Titans will need someone who can go all out from the word go at the other end. This is precisely why they opened with Wade during the previous IPL season, but the ploy proved to be a complete flop as the maverick Aussie failed to produce anything of substance with the willow in hand.
Speaking of IPL 2023, between Williamson and Saha, the former bats in a similar manner to Gill. The New Zealand cricketer also needs some balls to get going before he can break free. However, another issue that has been observed with Williamson in recent times is that he has failed to up the ante even after consuming many deliveries.
Gujarat cannot afford to have someone who eats up deliveries at the start of the innings. SRH also suffered to due Williamson’s inability to step on the accelerator last season. Having said that, the 32-year-old is a quality cricketer and can never be written off. Backing the Kiwi, though, comes with its own set of risks.
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As for Saha, he proved to be the perfect foil for Gill in IPL 2022. The veteran keeper-batter took on the bowling and allowed his younger partner to take his time. Once Gill got in, he blossomed wonderfully. However, one season is a long time and it remains to be seen whether Gujarat Titans will place their trust in Saha all over again.
Saha has the upper hand over Williamson for sure, but the latter’s stature would be hard for the Gujarat franchise to ignore.