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The South African legend AB de Villiers spoke about the Gujarat Titans’ decision to appoint Shubman Gill as their new captain after the former captain Hardik Pandya left for Mumbai Indians. The 39-year-old remarked that GT missed a “fantastic opportunity” to appoint Kane Williamson, one of the more experienced players, in a leadership role ahead of the Indian youngster Shubman Gill.
During his tenure as captain of Gujarat Titans in the last two seasons of the IPL, Hardik Pandya took them to the final twice, securing the trophy for the franchise in their inaugural season in 2022. But, after he decided to make a return to his former franchise Mumbai Indians, the Gujarat Titans management decided to give the responsibility of captaining the team to Shubman Gill for the IPL 2024 season after his stellar performances in the last two years.
On his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers made the point about Gujarat Titans needing to give the captaincy to Kane Williamson, who has experience in the role, ahead of Shubman Gill. He said, as per News18, “The minute I saw Kane Williamson’s name as a retained player, I thought there was a fantastic opportunity to give an experienced player who has done it before an opportunity to captain for you. Give Shubman Gill the opportunity just to cement in all the formats in Indian cricket and just to have another good season at the IPL.”
It may pay off: AB de Villiers on Shubman Gill captaining Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024
AB de Villiers remarked that Shubman Gill has been thrown into the captaincy role for Gujarat Titans for the IPL 2024. He also stated that it would have been better to have him captain the team in 2025 while learning the ropes in the upcoming season of the IPL.
The 39-year-old said, “They decided to throw him in as captain. It may pay off; I am not saying it is wrong. I am saying that it was a great opportunity for Shubman just to learn a little bit and know that the plan is for him to be captain in 2025. Nonetheless, I am excited to watch him perform and lead from the front.”
