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IPL 2026 Final, RCB vs GT: Standing on the verge of winning his first IPL title as captain, Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill said he is not weighed down by expectations and believes his side can benefit from playing the final at home against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday.
Transcript
00:00Please stay into your questions.
00:02Yes.
00:03Please celebrate.
00:04Hi Shubhan.
00:05Congratulations.
00:07Shubhan, you know, like, off-race there's been so much talk about, you know,
00:11back-back cricket, undrive-lessed cricket,
00:13but you, of course, even Sai, you know,
00:15you run this old-school way, but still go about,
00:18and even, since you know, Shukujira has scored over 200 so many times,
00:22so, something of this, when there's so much buzz about this so-called old regression,
00:27you still learn this old-school way to go back to job in a very methodical manner,
00:32and with success.
00:34Sir, I think it's all about getting the job done, isn't it?
00:37Like, it doesn't matter how you get it done, as long as you keep getting the job done,
00:40that's what, that is what it's about.
00:44Hi Shubhan, you've been playing in three venues in a matter of a few days,
00:49so, how difficult is that on your body?
00:52While the other team might have a slight advantage going to the final,
00:55and it's your home as well, but still, like, your body might be tight,
00:58so, how challenging is that playing all three venues,
01:00and then going back to playing high pressure finally?
01:02Yeah, I mean, Dharamshala is kind of a difficult venue to, you know, get there and travel,
01:08but, yes, physically they might have an advantage,
01:10but I think finals are all about mental,
01:13so, the team that is mentally up there for the challenge is the one that's going to win.
01:18Someone will see the beard going on in the future,
01:21and, like, it's a, six years, seven days ago when you waited with you,
01:26we actually saw you in the night and said you are ten times better than him.
01:30When you see this guy, if you're going forward batting the way he has batted,
01:34I mean, your thoughts on that, I mean, just your thoughts on that?
01:38The kind of season I think he's had is just had a remarkable season.
01:41I have not seen anyone bat like the way he bats,
01:43and I think in this format probably he's, right now,
01:48he's probably one of the best batters in the world right now,
01:52and it's remarkable to see, you know, his, the, not just the hitting,
01:56but his biomechanics and his hand speed,
01:59and, you know, no matter what opposition he plays against.
02:03Today, you know, he didn't get off to a flyer,
02:05but still the way, how he managed to come back into the game,
02:07kept putting us under pressure.
02:09So that just tells you about the mindset that he has,
02:12and it's for, I think, in the years to come,
02:16the opposition that he plays against is going to have a tough time against him.
02:22About the vision, I mean, honestly, I don't really think about it much.
02:26If I feel like keeping one the day, I keep it.
02:29If someday I feel like, well, let's trim it, I trim it.
02:33Yeah.
02:34Hi, Shubhan.
02:35Just on Sai, he's been so consistent the last three seasons.
02:38To score that volume of runs,
02:40you have to be switched on and then keep coming back.
02:44So what do you think sets him apart in that sense,
02:46and, you know, what do you see in him that makes him score that way?
02:51I think in a tournament like IPL,
02:54you know, when I first started playing,
02:55one of the things that, one of the challenges that I faced
02:57was to keep playing the matches at the same intensity,
03:00and I think that is one of his biggest strength size.
03:03You know, you play so many matches,
03:05there could be days where mentally you don't feel up to the mark
03:09or physically you don't feel up to the mark.
03:12But to be able to have the same intensity in all of the matches
03:15and be consistent in your preparation, in your routine is not that easy.
03:21And he's someone who is, you know, very consistent in his routines,
03:26in his life outside of cricket.
03:28So that's, that's what makes him consistent on the field as well.
03:32Hi Shuman.
03:33Shuman, nowadays it seems like for a lot of batters,
03:37six hitting is easier than hitting fours.
03:39When you're doing so much mid, like centre wicket practice
03:42and range hitting most of the time,
03:45in terms of your ability to hit boundaries and still pick gaps,
03:49how do you keep working on that, if you could talk about that aspect?
03:55I mean, totally depends on, like this relatively is,
04:01is a little bit, this ground is a little bit bigger
04:05and we have seen sometimes the wicket here today
04:07and in both the matches the wickets been really good,
04:09but sometimes if the wicket tends to be a bit on the slower side,
04:12you know, then it's important to hit the gaps.
04:15Still looking to run well at the gaps,
04:17because I think that is the foundation of, you know,
04:19any format you are playing.
04:21If the team that plays less number of dot balls
04:25has a better chance of, you know, getting a better score.
04:28So, yes, the T20 game has evolved.
04:32You know, you see bigger scores,
04:35but the wickets have also gone a little bit flatter.
04:37And I don't think that not many people talk about this, you know,
04:41before, before these two new teams come, there used to be eight teams.
04:45And we used to play on, on similar wickets on like much more.
04:52You back in the day, in the second half of the IPL,
04:55you used to see 150, 160, 140 scores a lot more in Eden Gardens,
04:59even in Bombay, in some of the venues.
05:01Now, because at least four or five times in a season,
05:05we get a five day break, a seven day break.
05:08So which gives the chance, you know, you play on fresh wickets.
05:11Better wickets.
05:13So, I feel like as long as, you know, still cricket is the same.
05:17It's, it's all about the kind of wickets that we play on,
05:21the kind of grounds that we play on.
05:23If we play on challenging wickets, the scores are going to be,
05:26you know, similar.
05:28Maybe a five, ten runs difference here and there.
05:30But still, I feel the cricket is, cricket is pretty much similar.
05:50I mean, I'd be happy to play if, you know, I get picked for the T20 team.
05:55But I, honestly, I want to keep working on my game.
05:58It doesn't matter what format it is.
06:00I want to keep getting better as a T20 batsman, as an ODI batsman,
06:04as a test batsman.
06:05You know, it's, cricket is such a game you can never really get perfect.
06:09But obviously, you can strike for it and that's what I try to do.
06:18So, this season has been, like, a lot of sport life has been on other batsmen,
06:23on the hitters, power hitters in this season.
06:26But quietly, you have surpassed 720 runs in this season.
06:30And at the second, at present, the highest run-waters chart.
06:35So, how do you rate this season, consider this season that has gone back?
06:40I mean, totally depends on the next match, you know.
06:45If you win, it's gonna be a great season.
06:47If you don't win, I mean, it'll still be a good season.
06:50But, it'll be better if you win.
06:56Shaman, if you can tell me, there are some other outside of the field relationships that you have.
07:01Because, you have so many runs in this season.
07:05High-risk factors, high-risk factors.
07:07But, you must have some kind of friendship behind the scenes.
07:11How is your relationship outside?
07:14It's very good, you know.
07:15We spend a lot of time in the IPL together, on the field, off field as well.
07:24And then, we are in the test team as well.
07:26So, we have a lot of conversations.
07:29There are things that, you know, we talk about, about cricket, outside of cricket.
07:34So, not just for them.
07:36But, I think, there are many players on our team that also plays for the country.
07:41And, hopefully, we are gonna play together for a long period of time.
07:44And, it's very important for us, you know, to have our, to know each other well.
07:50To have a great equation, you know.
07:51That, automatically, transcends to, to on-field performances, I believe.
07:58Shaman, congratulations.
08:02Shaman, congratulations on reaching, get another IPL final.
08:05And, as you know, coincidentally, it is here.
08:06All finals will be at the World League.
08:09You played one, lost one.
08:10You also won one.
08:12My question is, playing at home, is it an advantage or disadvantage?
08:16Considering you won the 2022 edition, lost the 2023 edition, World Cup final as well.
08:21So, playing at home, is it an advantage or a burden of expectations to get better of you?
08:27Honestly, I don't really get burden of expectations, you know.
08:30With still, there's, obviously, there is, there are advantages.
08:35That's how I see it.
08:37There's familiarity when we play there.
08:40We know the wicket.
08:41We know the ground.
08:42So, we know what kind of cricket we need to play there to be able to win.
08:47So, in that context, yes.
08:49I, I see it as an advantage.
08:51Because there's a little bit of familiarity.
09:09I think the team that feels, the team that will feel better is going to win the final.
09:19I think the team that feels, the team that will feel better is going to win the final.
09:38I think preparation is what keeps me mentally fresh, knowing what I need to do the next week, next couple
09:50of weeks or in the next series or next tournament.
09:53And preparing for that, knowing the things that are in my control or knowing the things that I need to
09:59do well to be able to succeed and what we need to do well as a team to be able
10:03to succeed is what I think keeps me mentally fit.
10:32I mean, the message is simple, you know, when you're bowling with the new ball, if there is a little
10:37bit in the wicket.
10:39The, as a batsman, I know the hardest ball to hit is obviously that good length ball, but that good
10:45length changes according to the wicket.
10:47You know, if you're playing on a black soil, if there's a grass on it, if there's no grass, if
10:51you're playing on red soil, so that there's a lot of talk about length, length, length, but the length is
10:57not the same on all the venues.
10:58It varies, you know, there's a, probably a meter back or, back or forth.
11:06So, I mean, there's a reason, you know, why test match length works because it is the hardest ball to
11:14hit as a, as a batsman with the new ball.
11:16But I think the way we executed our bouncers today, it was quite exceptional, you know, we, I think, in
11:22every order we used our bouncers very well and the accuracy of bouncers that we bowled.
11:26I've actually not seen in a T20 game, the number of bouncers we used and the success that we got
11:32in the bouncers was tremendous.
11:35Thank you, thank you.
11:38Oh, thank you.
11:39Thank you!
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