Shubman Gill believes in staying calm on the field, never losing control over himself no matter what the situation is. But as a captain, Gill wouldn’t advise the practice of the same calmness to his pacers when he leads the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026.
Gill says that the calmness in his game comes from being himself and having belief and security within his group. But for his fast bowlers, Gill wants them to be as “fierce” as Ashish Nehra used to be in his playing days.
Nehra, who is the head coach of the Titans, was known for his intensity and aggression during his playing days.
Gill, speaking at “Shubharambh 2026”, a pre-season team event in Ahmedabad, said: “I do not want my fast bowlers to be calm. I want them to be fierce just like Ashu Pa was. I’m sure you must have seen videos of how Ashu Pa acknowledged dropped catches when he was playing.”
The Titans have an impressive pace unit this time, comprising Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Luke Wood, Prasidh Krishna and Jason Holder and Ashok Sharma.
On the personal front, however, Gill counts the benefits of being calm. “I’m just being myself, and the calmness comes from a sense of belief and security that I have within my group and in my own game,” Gill said.
“Staying calm in any situation gives you an eagle-eye view, you’re able to look beyond the moment, see the bigger picture, and have a much clearer, long-term vision,” the India Test and ODI skipper added.
While citing Nehra’s aggressive stance as a bowler, Gill also pointed out that calmness was also a strength of the coach.
A sneak peek into Nehra’s calm and cool approach as a coach was available when he was asked if the team needed to do anything differently this season, considering last year’s Eliminator loss to the Mumbai Indians.
“I don’t think there’s a need to think differently this season. In fact, I don’t have to think, the players do. They (players) have to think... They have to play. I’m sitting outside,” Nehra said.
That doesn’t mean any compromise on the hunger to win.
“From Day I, our mindset has been clear — we are not here to participate, we are here to compete and win. For a new team, it’s easy to think it might take time, but that was never our approach. This belief was shared by everyone, not just me.
“You’re talking about a captain who has been with the team from Day I and has
seen that journey. I don’t think we are looking to do anything different this season,”
Nehra explained.
Gill and Nehra’s outlook is also shared by Vikram Solanki, the Titans’ director of cricket. “As far as this season is concerned and putting a squad together... We had a really good year last year. We just fell at the final hurdle. We made very small changes at the last auction, it just needed a little bit of adjustment,” the former England player said.
“The work is essentially shared among all of us... We are ably led by these two gentlemen (Gill and Nehra). Leadership requires a team, but it also requires a level of trust that these players have in them, as much as they have in the players,” Solanki added.
The Titans — the 2022 champions and 2023 finalists — will take on last year’s runners-up Punjab Kings in an away game on March 31 in their tournament opener.
