Former Indian seamer Ashish Nehra has opened up on the differences between the captaincy of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya, as both of them led the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Speaking at the CAB annual awards ceremony in Kolkata on Monday, Nehra termed Gill’s captaincy a ‘work in progress’, adding that Hardik was always keen to learn during his stint with the Titans.
“Shubman is someone who does not talk or have as many conversations as Hardik Pandya. But he is very much to the point. He is also a keen learner – actually, I would rather say he is a keen observer. He learns from others as well, and he is only going to get better. He is still a work in progress. He is only 26 or 27, and it’s not as if he has been captain for many years. It has only been one or two seasons. You learn things as you go, and you get better,” Nehra said.
Hardik was declared the first captain of the Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2022 season and led the debut franchise to their maiden IPL title. He also guided the Titans to a second consecutive IPL final in 2023, where they narrowly lost to the Chennai Super Kings.
“They are very different. You are talking about the North Pole and the South Pole. Both of them were also learning, just like I was. Neither of them had done much captaincy before. But you learn as you move forward. Shubman Gill is now captaining India in two formats, so he is only going to get better,” he added.
“Hardik is an amazing character. One thing is for sure: he completely trusted me, which was perfect. He is always keen to learn. If something doesn’t go right or doesn’t go well, he will ask questions. He is someone you can have a lot of conversations with. Shubman, on the other hand, is a little reserved and a little shy. But that’s okay. Everyone is different. There is no right or wrong,” he concluded.
