The great Sunil Gavaskar has praised Shubman Gill for his leadership during the IPL 2025, pointing out in particular how Sai Sudharsan has flourished under Gill’s captaincy in the Gujarat Titans. Gill is a selfless captain who has allowed his opening partner to thrive at the crease, according to Gavaskar.
After a strong display by Gill and Sudharsan, who combined for a record-breaking 205-run opening partnership to lead Gujarat Titans to a 10-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, May 18, Gavaskar made his comments. Another example of their strong combination was when Gill finished not out at 93 and Sudharsan remained undefeated at 108.
"That's the hallmark of a true leader. A true leader never seeks the spotlight. He takes joy in his teammates receiving the recognition. That's what Shubman has done brilliantly this season,” Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.
Set 199 to chase by DC, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill made the target a cakewalk. . Sudarsan made his second century in IPL, scoring 108* with 12 fours and 4 sixes, while Gill made 93* with 3 fours and 7 sixes. GT made 205/0 in 19 overs and won the game by 10 wickets.
They achieved their second 200-plus partnership in IPL history, smashing 15 boundaries and 11 sixes together.
When pressure started to mount in the middle overs, Gill's maturity was particularly apparent. The Gujarat captain was frequently spotted conversing with Sudharsan, especially when the latter was briefly engaged in combat with Kuldeep Yadav.
"From the non-striker's end, he was constantly encouraging him. When Kuldeep was bowling, there were subtle signals. There was a phase when Sai found it tough to pick him initially. You could see Shubman making small movements with his gloves, little cues, essentially telling him, 'Don't stop playing your shots - just be a tad more cautious with this bowler.
That's what impressed me most about Shubman, aside from the brilliant shots and those massive sixes. I think he told Sai, 'You go for the sixes, I'll stick to the boundaries,” Gavaskar added.
With 839 runs in 12 games so far this season, Gill and Sudharsan are far ahead of the other players in the partnership statistics. With 1,985 runs at an average of over 60, they have also risen into the top five of all-time IPL partnership run-scorers.
With 617 runs in 12 games, Sudharsan is currently 16 runs ahead of Gill at the top of the Orange Cap standings. The steady play of Gujarat's top three, which includes England's Jos Buttler, has been the cornerstone of their dominant IPL 2025 position.
"A left-hand/right-hand combination always helps, and the way they're batting is just top-class. Look at the classic shots - the flicks, the drives - proper cricketing strokes with minimal risk. Shubman, at the non-striker's end, was delighted watching Sai execute those shots so cleanly. That's why their partnership works. A double-century partnership in T20 cricket is a rarity - it speaks volumes about their form," he added.
GT next faces Lucknow Super Giants on 22 May in Lucknow, before wrapping up the league stage at home against Chennai Super Kings.
