“I've never seen him too overawed” - Kane Williamson’s massive praise for GT’s ₹16.50 crore retention

Veteran New Zealand batter Kane Williamson heaped praise on Shubman Gill ahead of Gujarat Titans' IPL 2025 opener, claiming his ability to not be overawed bodes quite well for Team India's future. Williamson, who has previously played for the Titans, noted that Gill had a great cricketing brain while praising his leadership qualities.

Gill was one of the players, along with Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan, to be retained by the Titans ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. His retention came for a hefty sum of ₹16.5 crore.

With Hardik Pandya leaving the Titans after the 2023 edition, Gill was appointed captain ahead of IPL 2024. He, however, couldn't lead the franchise to the playoffs.

With Gill retained as captain ahead of IPL 2025, Williamson observed that the young star was a very good human being to start with. Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, he said:

"He's a very well put together human. A great cricketing brain and cares about his team-mates. He's very sure on how he wants to go about his business, which I think it's a really strong leadership quality and quite infectious, so there's no surprises really that he's touted for leadership for some of the Indian sides in the near future. I've never really seen him too overawed. He's on this path of getting better and better. He's got strong aspirations to keep doing that, and, and I'm sure we're just going to continue to see it in these other formats."

Gill joined the Titans in 2022 and clattered 890 runs in IPL 2023 to win the Orange Cap. Although the Titans struggled last year, Gill aggregated 426 runs in 12 matches at 38.72 and a strike rate of 147.40.

"He spends a lot of time in the gym" - Kane Williamson on Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill. (Image Credits: Getty)

Williamson went on to speak about Gill's work ethic, claiming that he hardly veers away from what needs to be done to remain on top of everything. He added:

"He looks after his body. He trains really hard. He spends a lot of time in the gym, conscious of what he eats. The game demands a lot from you, and if you want to play all formats and you want to be at the top, that's what it takes, and he's more than willing to give his time and energy to be the best. He has a strong desire to be that."

The Titans will be in action on March 25, against the Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad.