IPL 2025 GT Kane Williamson on Shubman Gill ‘A special player who will be a fine leader as well’
“He is a very well implemented human,” Williamson told Espncricinfo. “A big brain of cricket and cares about his teammates. He is very sure of how he wants to do his duties, which, I think, is a really strong and contagious quality of leadership, so there is not really a surprise that it is praised for leadership for some of the Indian sides in the near future.
“He has very clear reflections on how he wants the captain. And you know, it’s important. You have thoughts and you do it with conviction and you learn and you try to improve – and he has this. He has this capacity, and you see it in the way he plays, he did everything in format, test Cricket. Be also a good leader.”
Williamson also said that when Gill talks, his teammates take into account. He also loved Gill’s authenticity and his strong desire to be the best.
“He is clear, concise and precise, so when he was time to speak, he got up, and when he spoke, people listened to,” added Williamson. “And this is a very strong quality to have – knowing when to say something, and when not doing it. There are messages in both types of situations.
“He takes care of his body. He trains very hard. He spends a lot of time in the gymnasium, aware of what he eats. The game requires a lot of you, and if you want to play all the formats and you want to be at the top, that’s what it takes, and it is more than ready to give his time and his energy to be the best. He has a strong desire to be.
When you watch him train and watch him play, something that stands out is the moment when he has. It has so much time, that the counter is a little, whether it is confronted with guys who bowl at high speed or by moving the ball, it is so much. It strikes the ball in conventional areas, but very, very hard. It is a beautiful timer of the ball and has a lot of time. “”
Even if Gill has the potential to be a all -format player, he has not yet cemented his place in the three formats. Williamson says that being a leader is one thing, but the player must always fill his specific roles in the team format. Gill is already the vice-captain of ODI India, and Williamson believes that his addition to the management group of the national team is a sign of which makes India advance in the coming years.
“Each leader has a job to do with the skills he owns. With the bat, the ball, anything, but you try to choose the best leader for the group you have. They have clearly identified Shubman as this person by introducing it perhaps in some of the roles of vice-capping to better understand how the team leadership works under Rohit [Sharma]who did it successfully for such a long period.
“I think that is probably what this role of vice-captain really means. That there is a guy here that we may know how to advance this team. So how can we bring him a little closer to understand how the Indian team was so successful. There is a lot of good that is clearly there, so sharing this information is really important.
“I have never really seen it too much. He is on this path to improve.
IPL 2025 will be the second season of Gill as a full -time IPL captain. During his first season after taking over from Hardya, GT finished eighth last season, their worst performance during their first three seasons. Armed with a new team after the auction, Gill will be eager to make GT coherent again, as if they were in IPL 2022 and 2023, finishing as the first champion and finalists during the successive years.
