Shubman Gill is going to be a very good leader not only for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but also for India, Afghanistan T20I skipper Rashid Khan said on Saturday. Gill has led Gujarat Titans from the front with 465 runs in 10 matches at 51.66 with six fifties so far this season. “Shubman Gill, this is his second year leading the team and he has been getting better and better each and every game,” Rashid said during a media interaction.
“In the future definitely he is going to be one of the very, very good leaders for India, not only GT but for India as well. He has those qualities and skills. But it’s very important that you have that good connection with the head coach where he makes those things a little bit easier for you,” he said.
With seven wins in 10 matches and three defeats, GT have been one of the teams to beat, which is a complete turnaround from the last season in which they had finished a lowly eighth in Gill’s first year as captain.
“Last year things just didn’t go our way,” Rashid said.
“We were trying our best but it just didn’t go our way. Some results, you know, we could have had them in our way but didn’t go.” “But it’s quite important that you have that good relation and understanding between the head coach and the captain and I feel like Ashish (Nehra) bhai and Shubman bhai, they both have that kind of great understanding and that’s quite important,” Rashid said.
The ace Afghanistan spinner said Gill has walked the talk as a leader while answering a query about GT’s overall success so far in this IPL.
“It’s overall a team effort. Starting from Ashish bhai, how he manages the team, then captain Shubman Gill, how he manages the inside and then how he is leading from the front.
“That’s something which sets an example for us as a player that, yes, the captain is leading from the front. To be honest, we just keep the things simple. The simpler we keep, the better we perform. We don’t really much think about the result but we really think about the process and the mindset and the preparation,” Rashid said.
With seven wickets in 10 matches, Rashid hasn’t had the best of seasons so far this year which the Afghan spinner acknowledged.
“Its a tough question like a tough season for me,” he replied when asked about his form.
“Even if you see from yesterday’s bowling (against Sunrisers Hyderabad) as well, I didn’t bowl even 40 per cent of what I have been known for. The length and the line, that’s something which gives me a clear idea that yes, it’s not just about the batter, I missed my line and length.
“If I miss my line and length on any day, I feel any batter is going to score runs against me. I think the length and the line was missing but I just need to focus on that. Next game I play, I just focus on hitting the right area consistently and that’s something which will make me more effective in the game,” he said.
Talking about how the points table is shaping up, Rashid said, “This competition does not allow you that, yes we have seven games and we need to win one more to lock ourselves in the top four. Mumbai Indians have five or six back-to-back wins and the game against them will be big for us.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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