RCB VS GT: Shubman Gill Stresses On Mental Edge Being Key In Finals.

Gujarat Titans (GT) face the daunting task of playing a third game, at a third venue, in six days on Sunday in Ahmedabad. The captain of the side Shubman Gill isn’t too perturbed by it, though he conceded that their well-rested opponents Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) may have an edge heading into the final.

Usually, IPL knockouts are held in only two venues, but this year’s scheduling has given the winner of Qualifier 1 a massive big advantage.

Shubman Gill’s thoughts ahead of the final. 

Speaking after beating Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2, Shubman Gill said, “Yeah, I mean Dharamsala which was the venue for the first qualifier is kind of a difficult venue to get there and travel. Yes, physically, they might have an advantage, but I think the finals are all about mental strength, so the team that is mentally up there for the challenge is the one that’s going to win.” 

The conditions in Ahmedabad, especially, amplify GT’s strengths and their squad construction. They have won five of the seven matches they have played so far in Ahmedabad this season. And of the three knockout games they have played at this venue over the years, they have won two, including the IPL 2022 final.

Shubman Gill said, “Honestly, I don’t really get the issue of burden of expectations of playing another final in Ahmedabad. You know, there are advantages. That’s how I see it. There’s familiarity when we play there. We know the wicket and the ground. So we know what kind of cricket we need to play there to be able to win. So in that context, I see it as an advantage because there’s a little bit of familiarity.”

Gill himself has been prolific in Ahmedabad, where he has scored almost 25% of his T20 runs at an average of 54.

Shubman Gill’s thoughts on possible re-call to the Indian T20 team. 

After his non-selection for the T20 World Cup earlier this year, Gill has come out with greater attacking intent, especially in the power play this IPL. He has been going at 9.55 runs an over in the first six overs without compromising on the high volume of runs, which GT prioritise at the top of the order.

Shubman Gill said, “I’d be happy to play if I get picked for the India T20 team, but honestly, I want to keep working on my game, doesn’t matter what format it is. I want to keep getting better as a T20 batsman, as an ODI batsman, as a Test batsman. Cricket is such a game, you can never really get perfect at it, but obviously you can strive for it and that’s what I try to do.” 

In Ahmedabad, GT will bank on their new-ball pair of Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj. While bowlers from other teams have resorted to dipping variations and doing death bowling in the power play, GT have found success by hitting the Test match good length or the hard length. Rabada and Siraj have consistently hit those lengths, bowling through the power play in six of the seven games they have played in Ahmedabad.

Gill said, “The message is simple, when you’re bowling with the new ball, if there is a little bit in the wicket as a batsman, I know the hardest ball to hit is obviously that good length ball. But that good length changes according to the wicket. If you’re playing on a black-soil pitch, if there’s grass on it, if there’s no grass, if you’re playing on red soil. So there’s a lot of talk about length, length, length. But the length is not the same on all the venues.” 

He further added, “It varies. There’s probably a metre back or forth. So, I mean, there’s a reason why Test match length works because it is the hardest ball to hit as a batsman with the new ball.”

Shubman Gill on the versatile bowling attack of GT. 

Shubman Gill pointed out their attack was also versatile enough to test batters in other ways. For instance in Qualifier 2 on Friday on a two-paced track in New Chandigarh, Rabada and Siraj kept banging in proper bouncers, especially at 15-year-old phenomenon Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The short balls from GT’s bowlers limited Vaibhav to 12 runs off 11 balls according to the stats.

Shubman Gill said, “But I think the way we executed our bouncers, it was quite exceptional. In every over, we used our bouncers very well and the accuracy of bouncers that we bowled, I have not seen in a T20 game- the number of bouncers we used and the success that we got in the bouncers was tremendous.” 

The one thing that has stood out this season for GT has been the background work which includes the planning, done in accordance with the strengths and weaknesses of the personnel in mind, and the execution, which has been on point for the most part. Even if they have never looked like a team that would score 240-250 runs as they made 229/4 twice, has been their best so far unlike other teams, they have appeared the most likely to defend smaller totals and set up smaller chases.

Tom Moody Praised GT’s coaching staff for a positive team culture. 

Tom Moody, who has overseen a number of T20 teams around the world and is currently the global director of cricket at Super Giants across leagues, credited GT’s coaching staff and captain Gill for developing a positive team culture that nurtures young players.

Sai Sudharsan, for instance, was plucked out of the state-run Tamil Nadu Premier League by GT ahead of IPL 2022 and in five seasons, he has levelled up so much that he’s now part of their team core. Vikram Solanki, GT’s director of cricket, helped accelerate Sai Sudharsan’s growth by recommending him to Alec Stewart at Surrey. GT have lost also key players along the way, trading Hardik Pandya and Sherfane Rutherford to MI but they have found a way to reach three finals in five seasons of existence.

Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo’s Time Out show, Tom Moody said, “It’s a show of incredible consistency, but also stability both on and off the field. Ashish Nehra has done a wonderful job there with a young captain and they have grown together. Everyone seems to be very clear on their roles and there’s other people behind the scenes like Vikram Solanki. He helps navigate all gaps that may be there around the management side of things and they’re a wonderful team both on and off the field.” 

Tom Moody further added, “The team is greater than the individual. That’s their philosophy obviously, I’m assuming they think the collective is greater than any individual.” 

It remains to be seen whether Shubman Gill inspires consistent GT to their second title and first since 2022. They have been over the years, the most consistent side in IPL since coming into existence in 2022. A big final waits us all tonight in Ahmedabad.

Also Read: RCB vs GT: Rahul Tewatia Gives A Ray Of Hope To GT