Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 9 : Gujarat Titans (GT) batting coach Gary Kirsten talked about Shubman Gill's captaincy, saying he has enjoyed it and it is something that takes time to "really master".
The Gujarat-based franchise will lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their upcoming match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Kirsten said Gill is a "world-class" player.
"I think he's enjoyed the captaincy, it's something that takes time to really master, but I think he's enjoyed it this season. He's a world-class player, I have no doubt that in the next three games, he's going to put in one or two really good performances," Kirsten said.
Under Gill's captaincy, GT have conceded seven losses after playing 11 matches in the tournament. They hold the 10th place on the IPL 2024 table with 8 points and have a net run rate of -1.320.
Talking about Mohammed Shami's absence from the squad, he said it is difficult to replace a player like Shami. He also pointed out GT have talented young players.
"I think you do miss players. Obviously someone like a Shami who was big for us in the last two years, that kind of a player is difficult to replace. You can't replace world-class bowlers like that. There are some talented young bowlers in our group, but it takes time to find your feet against guys that are wanting to trade every ball for six," he added.
Shami is not playing in the ongoing IPL season, where he was supposed to play for the Titans due to injury.
The 33-year-old last represented India in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November. The senior pacer finished as the tournament's highest wicket-taker and took 24 wickets in only 7 matches. He underwent a successful recovery from his injury back in February.
Gujarat Titans Squad: Wriddhiman Saha (Wk), Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Joshua Little, Sandeep Warrier, Vijay Shankar, Manav Suthar, Jayant Yadav, Darshan Nalkande, Sharath BR, Kane Williamson, Matthew Wade, Umesh Yadav, Abhinav Manohar, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kartik Tyagi, Spencer Johnson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sushant Mishra.