'It did not look like Shubman Gill was leading for the first time' - R Sai Kishore praises GT skipper's captaincy skills

R Sai Kishore, Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder, has praised Shubman Gill's captaincy following a six-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) held in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24. Kishore hailed Gill's leadership skills, stating that it didn't appear that he was leading a side for the first time. 

Kishore, on the other hand, showcased his bowling prowess while defending 168 runs, finishing with excellent figures of 1/24 in his four-over spell. He picked the priced wicket of former MI captain Rohit Sharma, who departed for a 29-ball 43 runs.

“Shubman led the team very well. It did not look like he was leading for the first time. Even to me as a spinner, the inputs that he gave were fantastic,” Kishore said during the post-match press conference as quoted by NDTV. 

Sai Kishore further remarked on GT's performance throughout the game, stating they competed very well. After being put to bat first, GT could score only 168 runs but managed to restrict MI to 162.

“We felt we were 10 short, but the thing about this whole team and how it has been run over the last two years is we give a lot of emphasis to competing. Whether we win or lose, we're proud of the way we play. We competed really well. That was the talk given by (head coach) Ashish Nehra as well. All credit to the culture he has set up over the last two years. People are not thinking about the result (alone), they're focusing about competing and staying in the game,” he added.

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To do second role makes it even more exciting: Sai Kishore 

Sai Kishore further expressed his confidence in handling the batters facing Rashid Khan, stating he was at ease with them playing him out. Notably, making some variations, he strategically bowled slower deliveries during the game. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old added that when the dew began to settle, he anticipated its significant impact on the game's result.

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“Because the wicket was two-paced, we tried to go into the wicket a lot more, trust our length a lot more than directly going for yorkers. That resulted in getting a lot of wickets. It was attacking bowling even if the situation was otherwise. In the other teams where I play I usually do the lead role. To do the second role makes it even more exciting. Most people are going to play off Rashid and come after me. That makes the challenge more exciting. 

“I was actually expecting dew to play a major role. The ball was wet, but for some strange reason, the ball was still holding on the wicket. Usually it slides on, but I was surprised by the amount of purchase I was getting,” he said further.