SRH vs KKR in IPL 2021 – Shubman Gill’s target: Shubman Gill is the latest prodigy of India’s familial batting production line. The 20-year-old has already established himself as an opener in Test cricket but is yet to make a mark in T20. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will be an audition for him ahead of October scheduled T20 World Cup in India. Gill will begin his IPL 14 journey on Sunday when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) face Sunrisers Hyderabad at MA Chidambaram Stadium. But even before the World Cup, the stylish right-handed opener wants to make his debut in the IPL final. “The obvious target would to first qualify for the playoffs and then playing the final will give us immense satisfaction,” the Punjab-born tells InsideSport.
SRH vs KKR in IPL 2021 – Shubman Gill target: Gill has been the most consistent scorer for the Eoin Morgan-led side. He scored 440 runs in 14 matches last season and was the highest scorer for KKR. But the youngster has struggled to make an impact in the Powerplay, which was the biggest concern for Kolkata in IPL 2020. His gameplay for the season would be to score at a higher strike rate early in the game.
Gill has been the most consistent scorer for the Kolkata Knight Riders, but as an opener, the stylish right-hander has failed to fire in the Powerplay, which was an area of concern for KKR in the last season of the Indian Premier League. With the new edition of IPL kicking off on Friday, Gill is hoping to get his act together and help KKR get off to flying starts.
“I think we did not have many great powerplays last year. But, hopefully, this time it will be different. We have set gameplay and I am sure it will help us get results,” he said adding, “there are somethings you want to work on, but most of them are mental”.
SRH vs KKR in IPL 2021: Shubman Gill ready to open with anyone
Gill has been the only constant in Knight Riders opening pair and will once again resume his duties as the No.1 in KKR’s playing XI. While there is still questions on who will be his partner, Nitish Rana is likely to be the first choice. Rana was the fourth opener for KKR last year after Sunil Narine, Rahul Tripathi and Tom Banton. Although the latter three failed, the 27-year-old impressed with consecutive 80s as an opener. However, Gill is not very concerned about the conundrum and says he is comfortable batting with anyone. “I am comfortable batting with anyone. I don’t think having different opening partners has not affected my game,” he says.
Shedding light on KKR’s approach this season including against SRH, he added: “It will be dependent on the team situation and vary from opponent to opponent. We will have a look at the wicket and see how the team should approach in that particular game.”
SRH vs KKR in IPL 2021: Not competition but Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal and Ishan Kishan are motivating factors
Gill has already cemented his place in the longest format of cricket, replacing his U19 captain Prithvi Shaw, as India’s first-choice opener. His brave batting in Down Under against the fierce bowling trio; Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, has become folklore for the next generation. Known for his penchant for big runs, Gill, however, is yet to make his debut for India in the shortest format.
India boasts a vast pool of top-order batsman like Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal, courtesy of IPL. Add veterans like Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, it a neck-to-neck competition to make it into the T20 squad for the World Cup. Gill, however, is unfazed by the fierce competition and take it as a motivating factor. “You don’t really need to see any one of them as competition. It is a good motivating factor for you and nothing comes is. And every time you get an opportunity you have to try your best to make something out of it,” he concludes.
KKR playing XI vs SRH (Probable):
Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c) Dinesh Karthik, Shakib al Hasan/ Sunil Narine, Andre Rusell, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
SRH vs KKR in IPL 2021 will be played at 7:30 pm, follow all live updates on InsideSport.co