Gujarat Titans will vary of the threat Chennai Super Kings pose as they aim to become only the third team in the history of the IPL to win back-to-back titles after CSK and Mumbai Indians but made a telling statement with a dominating win over Mumbai Indians and the Director of Cricket for GT Vikram Solanki believes the team is up for the challenge to take down the mighty CSK
“We entirely appreciate and respect what CSK has done. They’ve been a fabulous team for a good number of years now and we respect that,” said Solanki during the pre-match media briefing ahead of the IPL 2023 Final in Ahmedabad, adding, “We respect the playing group. As we have done throughout the year against all of the opposition, we’ve respected each and every opposition we’ve come up against. But we try and prepare ourselves to be competitive against anybody and we are confident in our preparation.
What transpires on the day transpires on the day but we’ve got to be conscious of our preparation. Be present when the opportunity presents itself and take those opportunities. Tomorrow is a brilliant opportunity. It’s yet another opportunity for our players to show the skill they have and we’re very much looking forward to it.”
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The Gill Factor
Shubman Gill has been the difference maker for GT this season and with 851 runs this season already at a strike rate of 156.43, all eyes will be on the young gun and Solanki had had nothing but praise for the talented young cricketer. Solanki lauded Gill’s exceptional batting technique and expressed his belief that the young prodigy could serve as an ideal role model for aspiring players.
“When it comes to batting, Shubman Gill is a brilliant technician,” Solkanki stated. “For a young man, he has already displayed remarkable skill and finesse in his approach. If you’re looking to emulate someone in the game, he would certainly be one of the examples you’d want to follow.”
The team director also shed light on the lesser-known aspects of Gill’s success—his relentless hard work and dedication to his craft.
“What sets Shubman apart is not just his natural talent, but also the tremendous effort he puts into his game,” Solkanki explained. “It’s not just about practising in the nets; he goes beyond that. Shubman is incredibly perceptive about the opposition he faces, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, and seeking opportunities to gain an advantage. He meticulously prepares himself to overcome the challenges he might encounter in any given situation.”
Bowling To the Fore
Even though Gujarat’s batting has been the most talked about aspect in the entire tournament and they have enjoyed a stellar record while chasing, the Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians showed the all-round team GT possess. Mohammad Shami, Rashid Khan and Mohit Sharma are the top three wicket-takers in the league – a rare achievement for any team in IPL history so far, and Solanki was quite to point out the importance of wicket-taking abilities during different phases of the game and commended the trio for their relentless hard work and remarkable success.
I think we’ve always been minded of actually being an attacking attack, an attack that is able to take wickets in different conditions through different phases of the game. So in conversation, we are always minded of actually… That’s our go-to is the ability to take wickets. All three that you’ve mentioned have been quite brilliant this year. Quite brilliant. They’ve worked extremely hard and they deserve all of the success that’s coming their way,” Solkanki explained.
“So it’s not just the case that if we chase, then we’re more competitive or not. We’re confident that the balance we have within our group allows us the opportunity to win. If we play to our potential and play as well as we can, whether it be batting first or batting second, we give ourselves an opportunity to win,” he added.
Over-dependency on Gill?
When you have one batsman scoring the bulk of the runs the obvious question that arises is whether there is over-dependency on one player, but Solanki dispelled any concerns of over-dependence on Gill.
“We are confident in trying to prepare all of our batsmen as best we can for any given situation,” Solanki stated.
“Our batsmen are in a good space going into tomorrow’s game. While Shubman has played a significant role with the lion’s share of overs, we are pleased with his contributions. However, it’s important to remember that, at any given time, only two players can be at the crease. If the two openers occupy the entirety of the 20 overs, we are absolutely fine with that,” he added.
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