Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill during a press conference ahead of the match against Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

In his first pre-match press briefing as Gujarat Titans captain, Shubman Gill started gingerly before coming into his own.

After the expected questions on Hardik Pandya’s move away and Mohammed Shami’s absence, he was pointedly asked what was different in this season’s IPL.

“Look at the captains’ photo with the trophy,” Gill said, ahead of the contest against Mumbai Indians. “That’s how different it is.”

Gill is one of four new captains this edition, and will be eager to show that his blossoming career has another dimension to it.

“It is fantastic to captain a team at a ground I have fond memories,” he said. “It is an exciting start to my journey. Facing MI, five-time champion, at our home ground with 120,000 people will be pretty exciting.”

While acknowledging that GT would miss Hardik and Shami, the 24-year-old was confident in the overall strength of his outfit.

“In a team sport, if you are just looking at two players to get the job done, it means as a team, as a coach or a scout you have not done your job. We have all bases covered. Shami bhai is injured unfortunately, but Umesh [Yadav] bhai is a great bowler and I think he can do the job for us.”