Gujarat Titans (GT) head coach Ashish Nehra has compared the captaincy styles of Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill. Hardik Pandya captained GT to the IPL 2022 title and the final of the IPL 2023 tournament before leaving the franchise for Mumbai Indians.

Shubman Gill took over the captaincy of GT and led the team to the final of the IPL 2026 tournament. Shubman Gill is also the captain of the India Test and ODI teams, while Hardik Pandya captained India in T20Is and was vice-captain when Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup 2024 title.

"They are very, very different. You are talking about the North Pole and the South Pole. Both of them were like me, not somebody who has done much coaching. Neither of them was somebody who has done much captaincy, but you learn on your way forward, and suddenly somebody is pretty much doing captaincy for India in two formats. He is only going to get better,” Nehra said during the Cricket Association of Bengal annual awards, as per RevSportz.

Gill is "more reserved but equally eager to improve", according to Nehra, whereas Pandya was someone who fully "trusted" him and was constantly eager to learn.

"One thing is for sure: he (Pandya) completely trusted me, which was the perfect, perfect thing. He will always be keen to learn. He will always ask if something doesn't go right or doesn't go well. He is somebody you can have lots of conversations with.

The other way around, Shubman is a little reserved, a little shy, but that's okay. Everyone is different. There is no right or wrong. He (Gill) is someone who will not talk or have as many conversations as Hardik Pandya, but he is to the point. He is somebody who is very keen to learn and keen to observe.

Of course, he is a work in progress. He is only 26-27, and it is not that he has been doing captaincy for so many years. It is only 1-2 seasons, and you learn things, and you will get better,” Nehra added. 

(PTI inputs)