Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra is not amused by the snap judgements being passed on skipper Shubman Gill’s form, cautioning that writing him off after a couple of outings in the volatile T20 format reflects the growing tendency of arriving at quick conclusions. Gill, who made a comeback to the T20I set-up as vice-captain during the Asia Cup, has totalled 181 runs in the last 10 games at a strike-rate less than 140.
Nehra, who has watched Gill from close quarters as the GT head coach for the past two seasons, was asked whether he is worried considering that IPL is three months away. “Forget three months, had IPL been three weeks away, I (still) wouldn't be worried. Because you are talking about a format like T20. And only two matches have been played against South Africa," Nehra, the former fast bowler known for straight shooting, replied to a query from PTI during an interaction with a select group.
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Nehra feels that the fundamental problem with criticism in India is reaching a conclusion on the basis of numbers alone. “This is our problem. In such a fast-paced tournament format, whether it's international cricket or IPL, if a player like Shubman Gill is judged after not coming good in two to three matches, then it will be difficult,” Nehra said.
In his inimitable style laced with sarcasm, Nehra said if one reckons that change is needed, so many options are there to be tried. “You have a lot of options if you want to see. You can remove Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill and you can open with Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad," Nehra said and his dig at critics wasn't lost on anyone.
“If you want to remove them (Sai and Ruturaj), you can open with Washington Sundar and Ishan Kishan. So, you have a lot of options. Now, if you lose 1 or 2 matches, if the stats of the so-called batsmen or bowlers are not good and if you talk about changing them, then it will be difficult,” Nehra batted with full force for Gill.
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Washi is a batter who can play anywhere from 1 to 6
Washington Sundar played only six games for Titans last season because of a set combination but Nehra did drop hints that if fit, the Tamil Nadu man would be used way more this time. Washington's role in the Indian team has created a lot of confusion as to whether he is more of a batting all-rounder or a specialist spinner who is also a capable bat.
Nehra has no such confusion as he feels that Washington's primary skill-set is being a top class batter and on conducive surfaces, he is a complete package with his off-breaks also coming into play.
“Washington Sundar, the kind of skill-set he has, number one, for me, Washington Sundar is a batsman who can bat at any slot between 1 to 6 or 7, whatever number you want him to bat. He has the ability to bat that much. As I said, if there is a little help on the pitch, then Washington Sundar has the full package with both batting and bowling.
“He has done very well in Powerplays, bowling with new ball when he started his career. It depends on how a team uses it. Washington Sundar is still not a finished product and sky is the limit. He will keep getting better from here," the head coach encouraged his ward.
“He is only 25-26 years old and has been in the system for so many years. So, now his experience is coming in front of you. Due to the combination of last year, he was not able to play that much (in IPL).
“But next year, I hope he stays in form, then you will see him playing more compared to last year,” he assured.
Not much option at auction
The mini-auctions in Abu Dhabi, slated for December 16, will be huge for teams like KKR (Rs 64.30 crore) and Chennai Super Kings (Rs 43.40 crore), who are rebuilding their core. But Titans need only five players and are going in with a purse of Rs 12.90 crore, which is third lowest among 10 teams.
“Our core team is set and we have released only 4-5 players. So, we go into the auction with a very open mind. See, when you are making a team from scratch, like last year, it was a different kind of strategy.
“But right now, pretty much all the slots are filled. So, we'll see what we get, the kind of purse we have because other teams have so much purse. So, you have to go with the flow during the auction,” Nehra said.
In fact, if one looks at Titans's line-up, when all players are fit, 10 slots -- Jos Buttler, Gill, Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj are filled.
In the one slot remaining, New Zealander Glenn Phillips, who was retained instead of Sherfane Rutherford, could be used as a big-hitting all-rounder, where Washington is the Indian option.
“Like I said earlier, we go with an open mind. Our team is set. Rahul Tewatia, Shah Rukh Khan, Washington Sundar, and so many middle order batsmen already. If I'm not wrong, the highest purse, CSK has it. But they also need players. So, we are sitting in a very comfortable position,” he added.
