GT's Poster Boy Shubman Gill Reveals Reason Behind IPL Success

image-li5o642qShubman Gill has taken the IPL by storm since joining Gujarat Titans (IPLT20.com)

Gujarat Titans' (GT) prominent opener, Shubman Gill, has credited skipper Hardik Pandya for his awe-inspiring streak of form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Gill's remarkable third century in merely four games propelled his team to a resounding 62-run victory in Qualifier 2 against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday.

The 23-year-old prodigy wielded his willow with remarkable finesse, amassing an extraordinary 129 runs off 60 deliveries.

Sharing an insightful account with the official social media handle of the IPL, Gill reflected upon the invaluable advice bestowed upon him by Pandya. He revealed that prior to the commencement of the previous IPL edition, Pandya had encouraged him to adopt an approach that resonated with his natural style of play.

The dynamic batter candidly confessed that prior to donning the Gujarat Titans' jersey, he occasionally found himself attempting to mimic someone else's playing style, inadvertently suppressing his true potential. However, he stated that his skipper's words of encouragement bolstered his self-assurance, bestowing upon him the freedom to embrace his own unique style of play.

"Last year before starting the IPL, he was the first person that came to me and told me to play how you want to play and I feel before getting a chance to play for GT, sometimes I felt I was trying to play as someone I wasn't and he gave me the confidence to be able to play how I want to play," said Gill.

Moreover, Gill unveiled an intriguing revelation regarding the catalytic effect of his maiden century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, describing it as a pivotal "mental switch." As the initial half of the IPL transpired, Gill found himself tantalisingly close to converting numerous promising starts into substantial scores. 

"In the first half of the IPL, I was getting starts and I was not able to convert them so I knew it was all about getting that one 100 and knew when I get that one 100 and it's all about the mental switch and then you start thinking differently, you start playing differently and I think that's what worked for me," added Gill.

Gill currently reigns supreme as the leading run-scorer of the ongoing season, amassing a staggering 851 runs with an exceptional average of 60.79, complemented by an astounding strike rate of 156.43.