Earlier this week, Gujarat Titans (GT) named Shubman Gill as their new captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.

This move came after title-winning skipper Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians (MI) by the Titans in an all-cash deal worth INR 15 crore.

Reacting to the development, South African legend AB de Villiers opined that GT missed a golden opportunity by not handing over the captaincy to Kane Williamson, who has proven himself as a fantastic leader over the years.

De Villiers feels that Williamson leading GT would have given Shubman a bit more time to cement his place across formats in Indian cricket.

“The minute I saw Kane Williamson’s name as a retained player, I thought there was a fantastic opportunity to give an experienced player who has done it before an opportunity to captain for you. Give Shubman Gill the opportunity just to cement in all the formats in Indian cricket and just to have another good season at the IPL,” De Villiers said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

Shubman Gill’s elevation to leadership is a testament to his consistent performances for GT in the last two seasons.

Gill was among the top five run-getters in the 2022 edition of IPL while he finished this year’s tournament as the highest run-scorer with 890 runs at a strike rate of 157.80, including three hundreds and four half-centuries.

The decision to name Gill as the captain may pay off for the Titans, but De Villiers said it would have been great for the Indian youngster to learn from Williamson by playing under him.

“They decided to throw him in as captain. It may pay off; I am not saying it is wrong. I am saying that it was a great opportunity for Shubman just to learn a little bit and know that the plan is for him to be captain in 2025. Nonetheless, I am excited to watch him perform and lead from the front,” he remarked.