GT will kickstart their IPL campaign against PBKS at Narendra Modi Stadium on March 25. During last year’s IPL, GT’s run rate during the first six overs was 7.72, the lowest among all teams, and Gill struck at 131.08 during that phase. Only his opening partner Sai Sudharsan (115.49) scored slower among batters with at least 150 runs in the powerplay last year. After two back-to-back finals, including a title win, GT finished eighth in the IPL with just five wins in 12 completed matches. In this season, Gill wants to lay the foundation for a big score with the bat.
Speaking during the pre-tournament presser, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, Gill said, “The plan is to score as many runs as possible and lose as few wickets as possible. We did not do well in the powerplay or [the phases] after that last season. We could not play the way we wanted to in the powerplay and even after that, and that shows in the fact that we could not qualify [for the playoffs].”
“As a batsman, it is my responsibility to bat in a way that allows us to maximise the powerplay. That is what I strive for, and hopefully, this time we rectify the errors from last season,” he added.
During the last IPL, there were eight totals of 250-plus, and it was a run-fest during the powerplay on many occasions. However, Gill said that his team is not trying to chase the 300-run total but playing their cricket according to the prevailing conditions and situation during a match.
“If the wicket or the situation allows us to make 240, 250, [or] 260 runs, yeah, we are not saying no to that, but there might be a situation where 150, [or] 160 would be an ideal total on a wicket. Hence, I feel as a team if you are only looking to play one way, then you are not adapting, and the hallmark of a great team is that it adapts the best to the suitable conditions and the challenges that are thrown at them,” he added. IPL 2024 was Gill’s first shot as captain at the senior level, having led Punjab on two occasions only before that. Since then, he has led India in T20Is, during the T20I tour of Zimbabwe last July and was appointed as Rohit Sharma’s vice-captain for the tour to Sri Lanka and the ICC Champions Trophy. Speaking on captaincy, Gill said, “I have had more experience captaining Gujarat [Titans] than the Indian cricket team for sure. And the experience that I get here from Ashu [Ashish Nehra, head coach] paaji or Vikram [Solanki, director of cricket] paaji is immensely pleasurable for me. It was my first year as captain, so there were a lot of things I could learn from. The challenging thing is you learn new things about a player or even about yourself. There were things I needed to work on, if I want to be a good captain.”
“I have played under various captains, and each captain has a different quality, and there are some qualities that resonate with you as a person, and those are the kind of qualities that you tend to take forward, and that is what I will try to do,” he added.
The 2023 IPL was a breakout season for Gill as he made 890 runs with three centuries and four fifties, winning the Orange Cap for most runs. He started the last season on a promising note, scoring 255 runs in six matches at a strike rate of over 151, but his form dipped later, ending the season with 426 runs at a strike rate of 147.40, a century and two fifties. Now, this season, Gill aims to separate both batting and captaincy.
“The more we keep batting and captaincy separate, the better it is,” he said. “In my experience, it is good if I do not mix it. When I go out to bat, the best thing for me is to play as a batter and take decisions accordingly. Captaincy role comes after I am dismissed, or when we are fielding or [are] off the field. When I am batting, I focus only on batting,” he said.
Despite a poor season last year, Gill is confident about his team this season due to their overall record, having won 28 matches across the last three seasons, the most by any team.
“If you look at our record over the past three years, we are the team with the most wins and the highest percentage of wins. If we continue to do that, it is going to be another great season for us. And just because it is a new season, I do not think we have to do anything different,” he said.
“I think for the past three years we have played the most consistent cricket. I do not think we need to change anything. We will continue to keep playing the cricket that we have been playing over the past three years,” he concluded.
