Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill highlighted that his strong batting partnership with Sai Sudharsan and the team's achievements in the IPL 2025 are largely due to his ability to outsmart opponents and his tactical acumen.

As an opening pair, the pair has amassed 839 runs at an average of 76.27, including seven partnerships of 50 or more. Their most recent undefeated 205-run partnership against the Delhi Capitals guaranteed GT a postseason berth.

Three of Gill and Sudharsan's partnerships have scored more than 100 runs, demonstrating their exceptional consistency. Their most recent accomplishment was leading Gujarat Titans to a decisive 10-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

“I think the way we bat is not exactly similar, but the left-right combination helps. We both run very well between the wickets, and we're the kind of players who like to outsmart the opponent, including the bowlers,” Gill shared on JioHotstar's Gen Bold.

Gill emphasized the importance of tactical awareness in modern cricket, particularly with the Impact Player rule.

"In T20 cricket, especially with the introduction of the Impact Player rule, that skill of outsmarting the opposition has declined a bit. But I think our team still does it really well. It's easy to swing freely on good cement wickets, but real skill lies in reading conditions, assessing the situation, and consistently putting up fighting totals - that, I believe, is the key to our success,” he added.

Shubman Gill, the captain, acknowledged the team's overall performance across all departments. He also praised the GT head coach Gujarat Titans and is communication with GT players.

"I think it's been a collective performance. The way everyone is coming together and contributing in all aspects - that's something we've done really well over the first three years, and I think that's what has continued this season.

I think Ashish Nehra had a clear vision when Gujarat Titans came in during the first year - he knew how he wanted to build the team and define player roles. His communication with the players, both on and off the field, has been excellent. There are always areas to improve, and the way he works individually with players, especially the bowlers, stands out. Many believe that the IPL is won by batters, but our ideology is different. It doesn't matter how many runs you score if you can't defend them. The way he guides the bowling unit has been a major strength for us,” Gill added.

Gill also disclosed a fascinating relationship with Abhishek Sharma, who used Gill's bat to get his first international century against Zimbabwe, a habit that dates back to their early cricketing years.

"It actually started back in our U-16 days. Abhishek began playing with my bat - there's a story behind it. He was batting on 80 or 90 runs using my match bat, and I didn't want it to break, so I asked him to return it. We ended up having a bit of a fight over that! But whenever he asked for my bat, I always gave it to him - and he scored a lot of runs with it,” Gill revealed.

GT will face LSG in Ahmedabad on May 22 and CSK on May 25. If GT wins both matches, they will finish in the top two positions in the points table.