IPL 2025, MI vs GT: Speaking to the press on the eve of the big-ticket contest in Mumbai, Gujarat Titans Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki heaped praise on the opening partnership between Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill. He also spoke about Kagiso Rabada's return from a doping ban.
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00:00Shippam Gill, are you happy with the way Gill has shaped up as batsman and a leader?
00:30As somebody that is as gifted, as talented, as exceptional as Shippam is as a batsman, sometimes you might have concerns around whether the weight of leadership would bear heavy.
00:40I don't think that's been the case. I think you sometimes see that people thrive in those sort of responsibility roles and Shippam has certainly been that.
00:50What has made Sai and Gill the most successful opening pair in this IPL?
00:55I think you can only credit them to their hard work, credit their success, credit their partnership to their hard work.
01:02There is the nuance that they are similar in terms of how they approach the game.
01:08They are fairly traditional in terms of how they set themselves up for the game.
01:13They have at the very base a solid technique and an understanding and an appreciation for facing that new ball where you can have some movement.
01:23And they are both, I suppose, have opened the batting in red ball cricket when your technique is challenged.
01:31So they have served that sort of apprenticeship, if you like.
01:34And they are only sort of growing as far as their partnership is concerned as a result.
01:39I think they complement each other very well. The obvious thing is the left hand right hand combination.
01:44But I think they do complement each other and are starting to get an understanding of one another's games.
01:49So they can help each other out as well.
01:51But if you wanted me to place one thing on the record I think it would be just their sheer determination and hard work towards their craft.
02:03Is there any clarity on Kagiso Rabada whether he will be playing tomorrow's match after the whole episode?
02:13I suppose I am glad you brought that up.
02:17With Kagiso, as far as tomorrow's match is concerned, the fact is he is now available given all of the decisions that have been taken and whatever has transpired over the past month or so.
02:29And in speaking about Kagiso, I suppose I would like to just get a couple of things across.
02:35The first of which would be that Kagiso has expressed regret at an error in judgement.
02:43He has made a telling statement. I read his statement and I thought that his statement speaks volumes about the personality, the character that he is.
02:52He has expressed regret, as I said, but is very much looking forward to getting back to playing the game he loves.
03:00He will take his sort of lessons from this.
03:04And we are just looking forward to having him back part of our group, having him back at practice.
03:10He served his time.
03:12The second thing I would like to sort of place on record is that as far as procedure and protocol is concerned,
03:20everybody that has been involved in this episode, right from Kagiso, his representatives,
03:26all matters as far as requirements have been followed to the letter.
03:32We try to be mindful of the emotion around Kagiso as well.
03:38But having said all of that, he is now back having served the time, the band, the suspension for 30 days.
03:47And what we are looking for now is for him to just be back doing what he loves and for him to be doing stuff that we appreciate him doing and that is to be part of the cricket team.
03:57Hi Vikram. If you see your top three has been doing bulk of the scoring or facing majority of the deliveries.
04:06Is that a concern going into the deep end of the tournament?
04:11And are you looking at getting other batters involved, getting them more deliveries to play?
04:16Because that middle order hasn't faced that many deliveries over there.
04:19So what I'll say is if your top three are getting runs, it's never a concern.
04:23No, no, the middle order is a concern.
04:25Yeah, but you're obviously grateful for the fact that they're getting runs.
04:29They're in good form.
04:31The rest of the guys have been working hard at the game.
04:33What they can do is just be prepared as and when they're required.
04:36We've got a lot of confidence in the middle order.
04:38They haven't perhaps had the game time, or rather batting time,
04:42for the fact that those two, rather three guys, have done the bulk of the batting.
04:48But I'm sure everybody's happy for them to continue doing that, if needed.
04:53And there are plenty of guys through that middle order that can come and do a job.
04:58Hi. One more question on Kagi.
05:01So I'm sure he would want to put this episode behind him.
05:04But now that he's joined the squad, you, Ashish, and everybody in the support staff,
05:09how are you trying to help him focus exactly on the game?
05:13Because it's now the playoffs qualifications also heating up.
05:18It's easy to get distracted by these kind of off-field things.
05:21So how are you trying to lift his morale?
05:24You're absolutely right.
05:25It is easy to get distracted.
05:26And one of the things he's made very clear is that he doesn't want this episode to distract anybody,
05:32as far as the team is concerned.
05:34He spoke very eloquently about the fact that this is something he's dealing with.
05:38It's not a matter as far as the team is concerned.
05:41The team will, of course, support him.
05:42It's our job to support the players we have,
05:46whether it be on a matter of form or it be on a matter of personal matters like this.
05:51We will be supportive of Kagi.
05:53So we're confident that he has had some time to think about things.
05:58He's spent some time, I suppose,
06:01understanding how much he actually loves playing this game.
06:05And the message certainly in the conversations I've had with him is that he doesn't want for any stage
06:11to take playing this game he loves for granted.
06:15And I suppose if that is the mindset he is of,
06:18it sort of holds him in good stead as well as the rest of the group in good stead.
06:22I mean, if I could ask this this way, that if Kagi so was your strike bowler,
06:32and he wasn't available for a certain period of time in the tournament,
06:35how would you rate the others have performed so far up until this point in time?
06:41And particularly if you are aware of the work that Prasit Krishna has done with Ashish Nehra being,
06:45the attempt to bring bowlers.
06:47I think all of the bowlers have performed outstandingly.
06:51Often you speak about batting and the obvious thing is partnerships in batting,
06:57but I think you've seen across the tournament that the bowlers have operated in partnerships as well.
07:02And that's very much the case.
07:03You speak to a battery of fast bowlers particularly.
07:05You might, of course, have an appreciation of spinners within that group as well.
07:09But an attack often works where somebody will pick up some of the slack sometimes
07:14and another will pick up the slack another time.
07:16And what we found ourselves in, as far as Kagi so's absence,
07:20was that the rest of the group pulled together.
07:22And it speaks volumes for that group that they've pulled together
07:25and been able to deliver the performances they have.
07:28Prasit has been outstanding.
07:30So the rise has been outstanding.
07:31All of the group at some stage have contributed with the ball in hand.
07:35So that, again, is just me sort of crediting the group rather than any individual.
07:42You made the point about Ashish's influence.
07:44Ashish has influenced all of the bowlers, of course he has.
07:47He's, you know, I sometimes just sort of watch an admiration as far as his connections with bowlers
07:53and how he can get the best out of them.
07:56And you've seen that certainly be the case with Prasid.
07:59He has a long-standing relationship with, obviously, Siraj.
08:02But all of the bowlers are spending time with Ashish.
08:04All of the bowlers, the players are spending time with coaches.
08:07And over an intense period like the IPL is, you need to have those sort of connections.
08:12And all of the staff are trying to do all we can to make sure the players are supported.
08:17Vikram, question from here.
08:20Rashid isn't used to going for as many runs as he has in some of the games in this season.
08:24Is it anything technical, anything to do with his past injuries?
08:27What is his point of view?
08:28What is the work that he's putting in?
08:30He's working extremely hard, is the work that he's putting in.
08:34And as far as technicalities and things, that's, you know, that's a matter for him.
08:38And I'd rather not comment on any technical matter in particular.
08:43Suffice to say that he's worked extremely hard.
08:46He, you know, he's a proud bowler.
08:47He's achieved a huge amount in this game.
08:50To be where he is in his career, to have achieved everything he has.
08:54Nobody goes through a career without finding some sort of period where it challenges you.
09:00And that's fine. That's what sport is about.
09:02We'll be supportive of Rashid exactly in the way that I've sort of expressed about other people as well.
09:07But we're really proud of the fact that, you know, he takes a lot of pride and a lot of responsibility in his performance as well as preparation.
09:15We'll continue to support that today and for the rest of the season and beyond that, to be totally honest with you.
09:21So we're looking forward to Rashid being the best version of himself.
09:24He is, of course, trying to accelerate that process as much as he can.
09:30And, you know, he has bowled in spells with the same sort of zest and the same sort of attacking frame that he has in previous games as well.
09:38So hopefully this will be the game that you see Rashid Khan sort of bowling the way that Rashid Khan can.
09:47Vikram, coming back to the Rabada situation, you said that he expressed regret.
09:52But as a senior statesman of the game and a responsible position of a franchisee,
09:57you think one month was a lighter sentence because people with similar offence were punished for longer terms actually?
10:06I think that's incorrect, sir. I think you followed the procedure. The procedure is not laid out by any individual.
10:11The procedure is in place regardless of any individual or any certain circumstance.
10:16The circumstances were such that this was deemed the appropriate. So we don't have any sort of control of that.
10:22It is the authorities that have control of the sanctions and what exactly the procedure must be.
10:29Your personal view?
10:31No, my personal view is you follow procedure. There is a set of rules and the rules are in place for a reason.
10:37If the rules are in place for a reason, they apply to one person as much as they apply to the next.
10:43And if the findings are such that it has been deemed appropriate for him to serve a one month sentence,
10:48then that is the right thing to do.
10:51Just a bit more on Kagi, so the cricket authorities in South Africa have cleared him.
10:57Has the IPL been kept abreast of all the situations, leaving the squad, coming back, all those things?
11:03Totally, sir.
11:04The technical committee, the bottom of what is the committee?
11:06Totally, sir. Every bit of procedure and protocol, like I said, has been followed to the letter by everybody involved.
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