New Chandigarh: The Nets told you everything you needed to know here at the Maharaja Yadavendra Singh International Stadium on Monday, if you were paying attention.Shabman Gul Was on it for over an hour. Flawless, precise, that characteristic play of his flowing back foot as if something practiced in a dream. Kagiso Rabada came to him, then Muhammad Siraj, then Prasad Krishna, and yes, there were occasional plays and memories that reminded you that he was human after all. But mostly it was Gill doing what Gill does: timing the ball delightfully. When he shifted to range hitting, the intent was clear. The Gujarat Titans captain is not playing it. IPL Just to be consistent. He has heard a noise.
Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Adjacent to these nets Shreyas Iyer It was working without any walls. No trap. Just open skies and balls disappearing into the stands with alarming regularity. A couple of them got into the middle of the journalists. Close the shave. Shreyas barely noticed. He went back to what he came here for: hit the ball very, very hard.Two batsmen. Two captains. Both are constantly, almost stubbornly, ignored by the national selectors. The men have something to prove in Tuesday’s IPL match between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.Also read: PBKS vs GT – Team Prediction, Head to Head, Pitch Report, Milanpur Weather UpdateIyer’s story is more maddening than either of them to tell. He has now led three different franchises to the IPL final – Delhi in 2020, Kolkata to the title in 2024 and Punjab in the summit clash last season. Last year, he scored 604 runs at a strike rate north of 175, the best among the season’s top 10 run-getters. Iyer last played a T20I for India in December 2023.Punjab Kings will need no reminding of what their captain brings to the table. But they have to ensure the rest of the batting fire with him. “What we saw with the bat from Shreyas (Iyer) last year was probably as good as he’s ever seen in the IPL, and I can see the hunger burning in his eyes now more than ever,” Punjab head coach Ricky Ponting said on Monday.The case of Gill is different in structure. His runs have never been a problem. From 2023, only Virat Kohli Scored most runs in IPL. The question has always been the strike rate, the intent, the desire to go up early. Last season, a strike rate of over 155 showed movement in the right direction.With Matthew Hayden coming in as Gujarat’s batting coach, talk of Gayle hitting sixes will gain momentum.
