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“Somehow, he [Nehra] gets the best out of them. Mohit [Sharma, in 2023] is another example wherein he did a very very good job under him. Mohammed Shami [also in 2023]. Holder even this season. I think his [Nehra’s] emphasis is on just try and bowl those Test-match lengths. And he always says that. When we used to work together on broadcast as well, he used to emphasise that quite often. So clearly an influence, which Ashish doesn’t get enough credit for, should be acknowledged. Because he does have that skill of getting the best out of his fast bowlers.”
It’s also understood within the team, that the fast bowlers will almost always be the key, even with a spinner of the quality of Rashid in the ranks.
The planning is done in the back room, the implementation is carried out in the middle. And that’s where Gill comes in.
“He was very, very good [against SRH]. He looks so sorted and settled as a captain to what we have seen in the first season that he led in,” Rayudu said. “He’s now becoming an accomplished leader [in T20s]; slowly but steadily he is really getting up there.”
Bangar, a coach with Punjab Kings (PBKS) and with the India national men’s team in the past, made an interesting point on the subject when he said, “The parameter [to judge a captain] is how he handles spin. That was a point of discussion when he captained India in Test matches in England as well. There have been occasions where he’s shown greater faith in the faster bowlers than the spinners. Once you have someone of the calibre of Rashid Khan, at times he’s been underbowled. But having a line-up of five fast bowlers and if they are doing well and if they are successful, why do we want to unnecessarily disturb the pattern of play? At times not using the spinner can also be a good strategy.”
Now the flipside. GT are 4-2 in Ahmedabad this season – they have gotten better as the tournament has progressed. And they are 4-2 on the road. Perfectly even. But is it a case of all eggs in the same basket with their bowling plans, and could it hurt them in the playoffs?
“KG Rabada, Prasidh, Siraj, Holder, all these guys are very good with their yorkers and slower ones as well,” Sai Kishore elaborated. “But such a wicket, where there is a lot of purchase, you have to be brave and bowl those hard lengths. That has been the philosophy. But if the wicket doesn’t have a lot of purchase, if it’s a very placid wicket, I think we will be smart enough to bowl those yorkers, bowl those slower ones, slower bumpers, and get out of the over well.”
Vettori added, “There’s a reason they’re at the top of the table – because they’ve been playing so well and it’s not just about these conditions, I think they can adapt anywhere.”
