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Former India skipper and Head coach Anil Kumble has lavished some heavy praise on the Gujarat Titans and incumbent India Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill.
Gill has been enjoying both personal and team success in the tournament with his Gujarat Titans now second on the points table after winning four matches in a row. Kumble’s comments came after Gill led GT to a 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on May 9. It was RR’s third loss in a row at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
Shubman Gill shines with the bat in win
Apart from his own 84, which came in just 44 balls, Shubman Gill was also involved in an opening stand of 118 with his opening partner Sai Sudharsan, who made 54.
Washington Sundar also played his part with an impactful unbeaten 37 that set RR a target of 230. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looked like he could have chased them all down by himself, until he was out for 36.
Dhruv Jurel played an aggressive cameo, but he was sent packing by Rashid Khan. Rashid eventually took three more wickets to win the Player of the Match award. The leggie’s spell completely broke the Rajasthan Royals as they folded for just 152.
Shubman Gill is one of the most pleasing batters to watch- Anil Kumble
After the match, Anil Kumble talked to JioHotstar and praised Gill’s batting. Kumble said that Gill’s ability to be in control even while trying to go for big shots was what set him apart from his contemporaries.
“Shubman Gill is one of the most pleasing batters to watch in modern cricket. There is nothing overly flashy about his game. He relies on playing each ball on its merit. Even when he goes for big shots, he remains in complete control. That is what separates him from many power hitters,” Kumble said.
His ability to bat deep is very good- Anil Kumble on Gill
Kumble went on to elaborate and said that Gill’s ability to bat deep is what sets his team up for success. He said that if Gill can set up a platform for his team, it goes a long way in executing their core strategy.
“The best part of his batting is his ability to bat deep. Once he is set, he takes the game deep and converts starts into long, impactful innings. When your top-order batter does that, it puts the team in a very strong position. It becomes much easier to push the total past 200. That is exactly what we saw from Shubman Gill against Rajasthan Royals,” he added.
Shubman Gill’s form in IPL 2026
Gill’s own form in IPL 2026 has been excellent. With 462 runs, he is fourth on the Orange Cap table and his team’s highest run-scorer. He has made his runs at an average of 46.2 and a healthy strike rate of 160. He has also made 4 fifties with a high score of 86.
Gill’s personal success has boded well for GT, but it is his team’s success with the captaincy that has been the defining point. In Gill’s captaincy, GT are currently second on the points table and also have a four-match win streak.
Also Read: Shubman Gill continues trolling spree, targets Rajasthan Royals after GT’s big IPL 2026 win
