Shubman Gill has enjoyed captaincy and its challenges: GT mentor Gary Kirsten

Shubman Gill. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

Shubman Gill has received flak from a section of cricket enthusiasts as Gujarat Titans (GT) are languishing at the bottom of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 points table in his first year as their captain. However, GT mentor Gary Kirsten has voiced his support for the Punjab batter.

Shubman had a stellar IPL season last year as he finished with a whopping 890 runs and won the Orange Cap. The Titans narrowly missed out on their second consecutive IPL title after losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the finals. Ahead of another GT versus CSK clash on Friday, May 10, the focus is on Shubman’s performance both as a batter as well as the captain. The right-handed batter has not been able to replicate his exploits from last year, as he has scored just 322 runs from 11 matches at an average of 32.20 and a strike rate of 137.61.

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Amid the disappointing performances, Kirsten spoke in support of Shubman and asserted that he has enjoyed his maiden stint as an IPL captain. The former South African opener also backed the stylish batter to come good in the remaining games for the Titans.

“I think he has enjoyed the captaincy, it’s something that takes time to really master, so I think he enjoyed it this season. He is a world-class player so I have no doubt that in the next 3 games, he will put in 1-2 good performances, no doubt,” Kirsten said in the pre-match press conference.

Gujarat are languishing at the bottom of the table, with just four wins and seven losses from 11 games. Their upcoming clash against Chennai is a do-or-die encounter for them. Kirsten acknowledged that Mohammed Shami’s absence has hurt the Titans this season. The star pacer was ruled out of the tournament due to his ankle surgery.

“Of course you do miss certain players, someone like Mohammed Shami in the last 2 years, there are certain kind of players that are difficult to replace. It takes time to find a feat,” Kirsten said.

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We have not played the kind of cricket that we know we can play: Gary Kirsten

The former India coach admitted that Gujarat have not been able to show the same level of consistency that is expected of them after their sensational performances in the last couple of seasons.

“We have not played the kind of cricket that we know we can play like we did in the last season. You get exposed in certain areas due to lack of consistency, so there have been components of our game where they have not been as consistent as they have been in the past,” Kirsten stated.