Was GT captaincy to Shubman Gill right move? Hayden backs 'calm leader' to improve
IPL 2024: Former CSK opener Matthew Hayden backed Shubman Gill as a leader, saying the young opener will only improve with time. Under Gill's captaincy, GT became the third team to crash out of the playoffs race in the ongoing season.
In Short
- GT were knocked out of the IPL 2024 playoffs race on Monday
- Shubman Gill has not managed to impress as captain of 2022 champions
- Shubman Gill has scored 426 runs in 12 matches in IPL 2024
Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden backed Gujarat Titans' move to hand the captaincy to Shubman Gill despite their inability to reach the playoffs in IPL 2024. GT were knocked out of the playoffs race on Monday after their final home game of the season at the Narendra Modi Stadium against KKR was washed out due to rain in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat had won the IPL title in their year of inception and reached the final last year under Hardik Pandya's captaincy. However, after Hardik was traded to MI, GT handed over the captain's armband to Shubman Gill, making him one of the youngest skippers in the league, even as Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan were part of the franchise.
"I believe anything that Shubman Gill should do to improve himself as a leader (he should)," Matthew Hayden told Star Sports on Monday. "Steve Waugh once said this to us as a group: 'Don't wait for me to be a leader. Be your own leaders on the field and off the field. And you will go back to your respective states, your franchises. And then, ultimately, when you come to me as your national captain, you will come in and make my job easier'.
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"I am a big believer in trying to bite off more than you can chew. He has got a strong support base around him that can keep him somewhere near planet earth when the elations come. They have come thick and fast. They are already here. His group of men trust and respect him. I am sure if he can find ways to learn -- there are some parts of his batting that he will work out different strategies moving forward," he added.
Shubman Gill, who scored 890 runs in 17 matches and won the Orange Cap last year, has managed just 426 runs in 12 matches as captain. The 24-year-old struggled to be as authoritative with the bat as he was over the years in the IPL.
Gujarat also lacked the flair with which they played under Hardik Pandya's captaincy in IPL 2022 and 2023.
DON'T FORGET HOW YOUNG HE IS: HAYDEN
However, Hayden said Gill is a natural leader and that the young man will only improve with time.
"We all forget how young he is. As the baby of the next generation, he has got to have leadership. It's got to be part of his equation. I think he is a natural leader, whether he likes it or not. He is a calm leader. If he can pull all those things together, I am sure he has got a bright future," he added.
Shubman Gill suffered another setback during the IPL 2024 season. The young opener was not picked in India's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup, starting June 1. However, the GT captain will travel as one of the four reserves with the World Cup squad, led by Rohit Sharma.