Virat Kohli Teases Shubman Gill in Friendly Banter Ahead of IPL 2024 Clash

Virat Kohli Teases Shubman Gill in Friendly Banter Ahead of IPL 2024 Clash

Shubman Gill, who has been playing spotty cricket lately, was left out of the 15-man Team India roster for the forthcoming T20 World Cup. The Rajasthan Royals’ Yashasvi Jaiswal gained a position in the 15-man roster, and the Gujarat Titans captain was placed on the reserves list. Gill startled India teammate Virat Kohli by showing up early for practice as GT prepared for their next match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The RCB star jokes, “Badi jaldi aaya practice mei (You came so early for practice)!” as Gill greets Kohli in a widely shared video that GT on X posted.

As Kohli played the senior and laughed with Gill, his junior, in the video, their friendliness and camaraderie were clearly evident. The video is available here: Gill has scored 320 runs at a strike average of 140.96 in 10 games in the IPL 2024. It seems unlikely that he will win the Orange Cap race this season, as he is now ranked 15th. He ended as GT’s runner-up last year, winning the Orange Cap with 890 runs in 17 games. Gill also hammered three tons and four fifties during a season to remember. However, he has only amassed two half-centuries this season, and in his team’s most recent match—which was again against RCB—he was dismissed for 16 off 19 balls.

Video Credit: Gujarat Titans

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Gill was passed over by the selectors for the 15-man roster, which may also have something to do with Kohli’s humorous demeanor. The opener hasn’t been the same since getting dengue early in the ODI World Cup last year, and he needs to grow up a bit to be GT’s captain. After Hardik Pandya unexpectedly returned to the Mumbai Indians before the auction last year, he was given the position. After being let go by MI in 2022, Pandya joined GT and was promoted to captain. Following a runner-up finish in their first season, he guided them to the championship. Thus, Gill felt a lot of pressure when he assumed the role. However, with eight points from ten games, GT is currently ninth in the IPL 2024 points standings, so he will be disappointed in himself. They are currently in a two-match losing slump and will be trying to get back to winning ways as time runs out.