Gill is a future leader, says Rashid Khan

Gill comes with a plan and he's very calm, says Rashid Khan on their skipper's leadership skills

HYDERABAD: Gujarat Titans star leg-spinner Rashid Khan says that Shubman Gill, who is now leading the franchise in the IPL, has a very bright future as a leader, not just as a batter but in the way he thinks and understands the game.

“Gill comes with a plan. He’s very calm, and when you see him on the ground—the way he manages the team, the bowlers, and the overall environment—I think he has all the qualities to be a great leader,” Rashid said in the JioHotStar ‘Gen Bold’ series.

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“He’s captaining in such a big league, and I think the pressure here is even more than the World Cup. This is the best opportunity for him as a captain to perform under pressure and take bold decisions,” Rashid said.

“Since I joined the Titans, I started enjoying the game a lot more. My performance improved, and I got more opportunities—even with the bat. It’s very important that when you’re in a team, you get some responsibility and there’s open discussion,” he said.

On his own stint as a stand-by captain of Titans when the regular skipper Hardik Pandya was unwell in the franchise’s debut season, Rashid said that experience helped him grow, not just in the league but also when he returned to lead Afghanistan.

On the evolution of T-20 cricket and the challenge for bowlers, the leg-spinner said that batters had started playing high-risk shots from ball one. “As a bowler, you have to work twice as hard now. You need to be smarter and ready for any situation,” the Titans spinner said.

“A lot of extra hard work is needed in the nets. Earlier, bowlers weren’t mentally prepared for such aggressive batting. But now, many are coming with new plans and strategies,” he said.

“If I put pressure from one end, wickets can come from the other. If a batter plays defensively, I’ll attack more and make tactical field changes to force big shots,” Rashid said. “ Ultimately, giving fewer runs helps the team and creates opportunities for other bowlers—even if I don’t take wickets,” he said.