‘When he plays such shots, it’s a different Shubman Gill’: Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya praises centurion

Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya was full of praise for his star batter Shubman Gill, who cracked a century to lead the team to a six-wicket victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final group stage game of the 2023 Indian Premier League on Sunday.
While Gujarat had already sealed their top spot in the table, the defeat means RCB will not make the cut for the playoffs, with Mumbai Indians joining Gujarat, Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.
Gujarat needed a blitzkrieg from Gill after Virat Kohli scored his seventh IPL century to lead RCB to 197 for five in their 20 overs batting first. Gill though slammed a 52-ball 104, while Vijay Shankar scored 53 in 35 in the rain-delayed match to seal victory.
Speaking on the player of the match, Gujarat captain Pandya said: “He knows when he plays those cricketing shots, it’s a different Shubman Gill. He doesn’t give any chance and that gives confidence to the other batter as well.”
He went on to add: “The calmness which the boys showed was terrific. We wanted to keep the momentum going. We have ticked a lot of boxes today. We would have taken 197 at the start, but we didn’t bowl well. It was a special innings from Kohli, but we went too early for the death overs. I can’t ask anything better from the boys. Last year, everything went well for us. We were expecting people to challenge us. The boys showed tremendous character.”
Meanwhile, Gill spoke of the early season when the centuries were eluding him despite him being in form.
“I am in good form, it’s about getting a start and converting it into a big one. It’s all working out for me in the business end of the tournament. You need to keep playing shots in T20 cricket. Earlier in the season, I was getting starts, 40s and so on. But the shots would go to fielders hands. I know my game, I will keep building on it. It’s going to be an exciting one, playing against Chennai in Chennai.”