IPL 2022: Shastri believes Gill is tailor-made for T20s

Bengaluru, April 8: Former India coach Ravi Shastri is in awe of Shubman Gill's performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, hailing the Gujarat Titans opener as one of the finest batting talents in world cricket.

Shastri also claimed the young Indian top-order batter is tailor-made for the T20 format as he has got a wide range of shots at his disposal.

"Gill is one of the finest talents in the country and in world cricket, to be honest. If he gets going, he can score big. He makes it (batting) look easy when he's set. He's got the punch, he's got the time, and he's got the power to clear the ground," Shastri said on Cricket Live show in Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL 2022.

IPL 2022 SPECIAL PAGE

Gill's Titans take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) for their first-ever meeting in IPL history when the two sides clash in Match 16 of IPL 2022 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday (April 8) evening.

While Mayank Agarwal-led PBKS occupy the fourth spot in IPL points table with four points from three matches, Hardik Pandya's new entrants sit a place above in third place with four points from two matches.

IPL POINTS TABLE

There are many sub-plots to the match and one will be the battle between Gill and South African pace ace Kagiso Rabada and Shastri believes the India international has it in him to make it big.

"He's just made for this format of the game. It's just his shot selection, his rotation of the strike which helps him take the pressure away," added Shastri under whom Gill made his Test debut Down Under in 2020.

During Match 10 of IPL 2022 against the Delhi Capitals on April 2, Gill made a brisk 84 off 46 balls, and though he fell short of his maiden T20 century, the Punjab batter managed to register his highest score in T20s.

Shastri opined that more is in store from the 22-year-old.

"He's the guy who's capable of putting bad balls away. Very good on the short ball and the short-arm jab. Early stages in the tournament, good batting tracks, you get to your highest score, you're playing for a new franchisee, it can only boost your confidence," Shastri added.

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In terms of composition and balance, both GT and PBKS are very different and that makes for an enticing contest at Brabourne Stadium where runs are always on offer.

PBKS in their three games have shown that the approach this year would be to go hammer and tongs during the Powerplay overs.

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The other sub-plots in the match include the battle between Punjab's Liam Livingstone and New Zealand's speed merchant Lockie Ferguson.

Having literally terrorised Delhi Capitals' Mandeep Singh with his pace and steep bounce in the earlier game, expect Ferguson to unleash his thunderbolts on Livingstone.

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For Titans, Gill is the only assured batter they have till now and as Shastri opined, he will have to play a key role again.

The match starts at 7.30pm IST and will be shown live onStar Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar.