Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody warned young Captain Shubman Gill of the potentially challenging task of captaining at the IPL level for the first time before the 2024 season. With Hardik Pandya being traded to the Mumbai Indians (MI) during the off-season, Gujarat Titans (GT) have appointed Shubman Gill as the new captain for IPL 2024. The youngster has been in sublime white-ball form with the bat over the past two years but he doesn’t have much captaincy experience as well.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Moody said, “For Shubman Gill, it is the unknown. He may have captained at a lower level but this is a different story, the IPL. And following a very successful two years for Gujarat Titans, he is stepping up to the plate after Hardik Pandya had such an impact as a leader, can he follow in those footsteps or can he create his own?”
READ ALSO: Michael Vaughan praises Team India after series win over England
However, Shubman Gill was the Orange Cap winner last season, smashing 890 runs in 17 games at an average of almost 60 and a strike rate of 157.80. The youngster has been a key part of GT’s incredible run over the last two seasons under Hardik Pandya, where they won the title in 2022 and finished runner-up last year as well.
On the other hand, SRH bought Pat Cummins at the 2024 IPL auction for a whopping ₹20.50 crore and appointed him captain, replacing Aiden Markram as well. And, Tom Moody shared his views on it.
“Historically there has been a disconnect between the team, management, and owners. Whether Pat Cummins comes and just clears the ground to allow the team to its absolute capacity remains to be seen. The SunRisers’ Indian contingent aren’t box office names but they are very good cricketers. The likes of Tripathi, and Mayank Agarwal at the top of the order are international quality players. If they are given the freedom and the ability to play without the pressure of consequences and if Pat Cummins can create that sort of calm that he has shown as a leader in the Australian setup and if he can transfer that into the SunRisers camp, those players and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Natarajan, these type of players will thrive under that leadership,” concluded Tom Moody.
