Former Indian fast bowler Laxmipathy Balaji showered praise on Shubman Gill after Gujarat Titans suffered a 29-run loss against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in the ongoing IPL 2026 on Saturday. 

Gill scored a fine knock of 85 runs off 49 balls with the help of five fours and seven sixes. The GT skipper scored his runs at a strike rate of 173.47. Gill added 128 runs off 73 balls with Jos Buttler to keep GT in the contest after KKR posted an above-par score of 247.

Gill has led GT from the front as he has scored 552 runs in 12 matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 160.46.

Balaji said on Star Sports, “He is a classical cricketer who bats with ease. He is the shorter version of Rohit Sharma. Like Rohit, he is flamboyant, has the extra time and plays the backfoot cover drive. His playing conventional cricket, but at a high strike rate with consistency, has influenced the team a lot. He is such an improved player with back-to-back excellent seasons.”

The former CSK bowler said GT opener Sai Sudharsan plays different roles for the team. The left-hander has amassed 554 runs in the ongoing season at an average of 46.17 and a strike rate of 157.83.

“He’s in a great space at the moment. He plays conventional cricket and takes his time without going for big shots. His cover driving shows he’s a player in control. His maturity shows in the fact that he looks to play the full 20 overs and maximize it. He seems to play several roles for the team. After failing in the first three matches, he did his course corrections so fast to become the first to 500 this season,” said Balaji (via the aforementioned source).

GT will next take on CSK at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Thursday.