(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] In one of the most unexpected trades in the Indian Premier League (IPL), all-rounder Hardik Pandya moved to Mumbai Indians (MI), leaving the captaincy position at the Gujarat Titans (GT) vacant.
Gujarat Titans named promising batter Shubman Gill as Pandya’s successor, giving him the responsibility to lead the side in IPL 2024.
After announcing Shubman as the new skipper, Gujarat Titans uploaded an interview of his on social media, where the 24-year-old expressed his delight on receiving the captaincy mantle.
Among the few statements he made, he also talked about what it takes to be a captain, mentioning commitment, discipline, hardwork and loyalty as the virtues.
This remark is being perceived by many as a dig on Pandya as he left the Titans to go back to Mumbai Indians, bringing his loyalty towards the Gujarat-based franchise in question.
“I mean, we all know captainship comes with a lot of things, and commitment is one of them. Discipline is one of them. Hard work is one of them. Loyalty is one of them,” Shubman said as quoted in a video uploaded on the Gujarat Titans social media accounts.
“And because I think I’ve played under great leaders and I’ve learned a lot from them, I think those learnings that I have had from their experience playing under them is gonna help me a lot in this IPL,” he added.
Shubman is upbeat about the captaincy opportunity he has received, expressing that he still has not been able to sink in the feeling.
“I think it’s gonna take, like, probably till the time we don’t play the first match. Uh, it’s not gonna, you know, quite sink in. It’s a great feeling. I mean, I was about seven or eight years old when you know IPL started happening. Obviously, it’s a dream for any kid who wants to be a cricketer and wants to play the IPL to be able to captain a team. Then to be able to be that kind of binding factor in this team, it feels amazing,” Shubman concluded.