Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill was roped into India’s T20 squad as vice-captain not too long ago, before he lost his place in the T20 team, owing to poor form, and Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson making the most of the opportunities that came their way in recent times.
To make a comeback into the T20 team, Gill would bank on IPL 2026, and if there is anything to go by his form for the Gujarat Titans, he would fancy his chances of scoring heaploads of runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, emphasising the same point, went on to call him a don in Ahmedabad, who is difficult to dismiss on their home turf.
“To dismiss him in Ahmedabad, he has become a bit like a don these days; it is quite difficult to get him out. So, I think Shubman Gill has nothing to worry about, and if I were him, I would be telling myself to go out and plunder runs once again. The best way to keep yourself in reckoning is by making a volume of runs. He will be the best batter for GT,” said Ashwin on Ash ki Baat.
Ashwin reckons that Gill will go to bat in the same manner as he did last season in the IPL, and advised him to just score runs instead of looking to chase strike rates. Gill was the fourth-highest run-getter in , having scored 650 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.88 in 15 matches.
“I have no doubt that Shubman will go about his batting business, just like last year. If Shubman keeps chasing strike rate and does not score runs, then GT will struggle big time. I hope he does not do that. He can score runs without chasing a high strike rate.” Ashwin added.
Having seen India win the T20 World Cup 2026, Gill would know that he deserves to be a part of that dressing room, and he will come into the season hungry and looking to prove a point. Ashwin believes that if Gill is in his elements and just focuses on scoring runs, he has a fair chance of getting the Orange Cup, which will do a world of good to his chances of getting back into the T20 set-up.
“In the top three of Gill, (Sai) Sudharsan, and (Jos) Buttler, Gill will come into the season really hungry. We will get another season where Gill chases the Orange Cap. It may also happen that he gets the Orange Cap, because he can and will do anything to get back into the T20I team,” Ashwin believes.
Gujarat Titans finished third in the points table last season, having won nine out of their 14 matches, and Gill-led Titans would look to better that performance this season by finishing in the top two, and playing the Qualifiers to give themselves a fair chance to win the title for the second time.