"It's A Dream For Any Kid...": Shubman Gill On Becoming Captain Of Gujarat Titans

Shubman Gill has said that becoming the captain of Gujarat Titans is a dream come true for him. The opening batsman has replaced Hardik Pandya as the captain of the team after the latter was traded to Mumbai Indians last Sunday (November 26).

The right-handed batsman was one of the three players who were bought by Gujarat Titans in a draft format ahead of their inaugural season in the IPL in 2022. And the opening batsman has very much justified the decision of the franchise so far. In 33 games for the Gujarat-based outfit so far, the India star has scored a staggering 1373 runs.

In 2022, he scored 483 runs with the help of four half-centuries to help Gujarat Titans win the IPL in their maiden season. In this year’s IPL, he scored 890 runs with the help of 3 centuries and 4 half-centuries to help his side make it to the final where they lost to MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. Shubman Gill is now all set to lead his team in the upcoming season and he is delighted to be named as the captain.

“It’s going to take probably, till the time we don’t play the first match, it’s not going to quite sink in. It’s a great feeling,” said Shubman Gill in a video posted by the franchise on X.

“I was about 7 or 8 years old when IPL started. Obviously, it’s a dream for any kid who wants to be a cricketer and who wants to play in the IPL to be able to captain a team. To be able to be that kind of a binding factor in the team. It feels amazing,” he added.

Shubman Gill on responsibilities as a captain:

At 24, Shubman Gill will become one of the youngest captains to take over a franchise on a full-time basis. And the batsman is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead of him. He stated that the experience of playing under great leaders will help him as a captain. He also said that the presence of players such as Kane Williamson, Mohammed Shami, and Rashid Khan will also be helpful.

“We all know captainship comes with a lot of things and commitment is one of them, discipline is one of them, hard work is one of them and loyalty is one of them. And because I have played under great leaders and I’ve learnt a lot from them, I think those learnings that I’ve had from their experience, playing under them will help me a lot in this IPL. We have great leaders in our team – be it Kane, or be it Rashid bhai, or be it Shami bhai or even David and Wriddhi bhai, so it’s going to be great.

“Obviously there will be a lot of learnings along the way which is what experience is and which will be my experience as a captain. I see a lot of people making great memories,” said Shubman Gill.

? From a dreamy eyed fanboy of the IPL to a captain of the Gujarat Titans! Aapdo Shubman is raring to own his latest designation! Hear his first words from a brand new chapter… ?#TitansFAM, ready for a new era of leadership? ?#AavaDe pic.twitter.com/vmIN7I4LQY

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) November 29, 2023