We're the Kind of Players Who Like to Outsmart the Opponent: Shubman Gill on his Partnership with Sai Sudharshan

Shubman Gill also opened up on what makes his batting partnership with Sai Sudharsan so effective, and why tactical awareness remains key to their success in the TATA IPL: "I think the way we bat is not exactly similar, but the left-right combination helps. We both run very well between the wickets, and we’re the kind of players who like to outsmart the opponent — including the bowlers. In T20 cricket, especially with the introduction of the Impact Player rule, that skill of outsmarting the opposition has declined a bit. But I think our team still does it really well. It's easy to swing freely on good cement wickets, but real skill lies in reading conditions, assessing the situation, and consistently putting up fighting totals — that, I believe, is the key to our success."

Shubman Gill credited Ashish Nehra for shaping the team's identity and empowering the bowling unit: “I think Ashish Nehra had a clear vision when Gujarat Titans came in during the first year—he knew how he wanted to build the team and define player roles. His communication with the players, both on and off the field, has been excellent. There are always areas to improve, and the way he works individually with players—especially the bowlers—stands out. Many believe that the IPL is won by batters, but our ideology is different. It doesn’t matter how many runs you score if you can’t defend them. The way he guides the bowling unit has been a major strength for us.”

Shubman Gill revealed the light-hearted backstory of how Abhishek Sharma began using his bats:

"It actually started back in our U-16 days. Abhishek began playing with my bat — there’s a story behind it. He was batting on 80 or 90 runs using my match bat, and I didn’t want it to break, so I asked him to return it. We ended up having a bit of a fight over that! But whenever he asked for my bat, I always gave it to him — and he scored a lot of runs with it."

Shubman Gill shared his thoughts on how Gujarat Titans approach the new high-scoring trend in T20s:

"I do think there’s been a shift in the way teams are approaching games — we’re now seeing scores of 250-260 more frequently. But if you look at the broader picture this season, not every match is a 230-240 run game. A lot of matches still hover around 180-190. As a team, we don’t chase the idea of scoring 300 just for the sake of it. It’s not that we don’t want to put up big scores — it’s about assessing the situation. If the wicket demands a 250+ total and we believe we can get there, we go for it. But if conditions are tough — say we’ve lost three wickets early — we aim for 170-180 and play accordingly. We don't believe in blind slogging. Every wicket and situation demands something different, and I think that’s our team’s biggest strength — we adapt to the challenge in front of us."

Catch Gujarat Titans vs Lucknow Super Giants at 7:30 PM today— live and exclusive on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network