"... Then I Will Even Have A Chance To Get Selected For The World Cup": Indian Batter Explains Importance Of Indian Premier League 2022

Shubman Gill, who will be playing for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, is taking the upcoming season as an opportunity to make the cut into the Indian team for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Gill, who has previously played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, is now looking to don the jersey of the Men in Blue for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. "The player who will do well in the IPL will have a great chance to make it to the T20 World Cup. I am also looking forward to if I do well in this IPL then I will even have a chance to get selected for the World Cup and if I am able to do that then I will be very happy," Shubman Gill told ANI.

The talented batter has played 58 matches in the Indian Premier League after making his debut in this league in 2018 and this season he believes that any team can win, including his team.

"Definitely all the ten teams have the chance. We have as much chance to win the IPL as any other team or I think we would take the IPL by storm because we have all the boxes ticked this year and our team has proper batters, fast bowlers, genuine all-rounders. So, I think the way our team has been built we have ticked each and every box and it all boils down to how well we play on the field. So, the more we spend time with our team the better it will be," said Shubman Gill while speaking to ANI.

After playing in the IPL under the leadership of Dinesh Karthik and 2019 ICC World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan the Punjab lad will be playing under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya who is leading an IPL side for the first time.

"Definitely when you think of Hardik as a captain the first image which comes in your mind is as a player I have the freedom to express myself on the field and there is nothing more that you can ask from a captain and if you have the freedom to express yourself on the way that you want to play your game. If you have that freedom on the field if your captain allows you to do that there is nothing more you can ask from a captain and when you think of Hardik there is nothing more comfort as a player you can do that," explained Shubman Gill.

The Gujarat Titans has a strong coaching staff with former India cricketer Ashish Nehra as a head coach and Gary Kirsten as their batting coach,

"Definitely both of them Gary Kirsten and Ashu Bhai (Ashish Nehra) are someone who are so vastly experienced in terms of cricket that they have played and obviously as we have Gary Kirsten as a coach when we won the World Cup in 2011 and there will be a lot to learn from Gary Kirsten because he is someone who knows the Indian culture. He knows how Indians play. He knows the mind set of Indian player and the Indians. For any foreign coaches when they come to IPL they take some time to learn the Indian culture but with Gary Kirsten who has already spent so much time with the Indian cricket and I think that will really be beneficial for us,"

Gujarat Titans will open their campaign against another IPL debutant Lucknow Super Giants on March 28 where the fans will see Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul at loggerheads leading their respective franchises.

"Both the teams are new and we both are playing our first match. It will be a very exciting match as we all know that KL and Hardik are very good friends off the field. To see that friendly rivalry going on in the match would be something that everyone is really excited and looking forward to," told Gill.

The IPL 2022 will see a tweak in format as 10 teams will be divided into groups of five where Gujarat Titans is placed in Group B where they will play Chennai, Hyderabad,Bangalore, Punjab and Group A side Lucknow twice while they will play Mumbai, Rajasthan, Kolkata and Delhi only once.

"There are two new teams and the matches are also more. We are playing some teams only once and the rest of the teams we are playing twice. So, obviously it is different. I think for viewers also this year is going to be interesting and different," told Shubman Gill.

Shubman Gill was India's star performer in the ICC Under-19 WC 2018 and after that he has excelled in the IPL and has also gone on to represent the Indian team playing three ODIs and 10 Tests.

"I think the journey has been no less than a fairytale for me till now and hopefully this journey I will be able to take forward with the help of my team Gujarat Titans or will be something that I will cherish in 10-15 years from. These memories that I can take with the team," said Shubman Gill.

Topics mentioned in this article

Gujarat Titans Shubman Gill IPL 2022 Cricket