'An updated and upgraded version has come this year' - Aakash Chopra praises Shubman Gill after GT's thumping win vs RR

Aakash Chopra praised Shubman Gill for his exemplary consistency in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years. However, the former India opener said that the Gujarat Titans' captain has upgraded his game this season, where he is batting with aggressive intent and taking on formidable bowlers like Jofra Archer and Josh Hazlewood.

Chopra's assessment came after the right-handed batter smashed 84 runs off 44 balls in the Gujarat Titans' 77-run win against the Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, May 9.

"Shubman Gill has become consistency's second name because he has had seven consecutive seasons with 400-plus runs, and an updated and upgraded version has come this year, where he is batting aggressively, whether it's hitting a straight six against Jofra Archer or taking down Josh Hazlewood. He is taking down the big guns," he said.

Chopra also pointed out that Shubman hasn't gotten bogged down by the pressure of captaincy. Instead, he has flourished with the added responsibility on his shoulders.

"Seven consecutive seasons - only Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan had done that, and he is the third. It's a very difficult job to be so consistent continuously, especially if you have been the team's captain for a significant period of time. Captaincy sometimes weighs you down, but that hasn't happened with him," he observed.

"He has done that 6 times this year" - Aakash Chopra lauds Shubman Gill's captaincy after GT's IPL 2026 win vs RR

Chopra admitted that he has been impressed by Shubman's captaincy in IPL 2026. He praised the 26-year-old for persisting with Kagiso Rabada on Saturday despite Vaibhav Sooryavanshi putting him to the sword in his first over.

"The second thing that is happening very well with him is that in captaincy, he gets Siraj to bowl three overs and Rabada to bowl three overs. He has done that six times this year. Has there been any season to date in IPL history where any team has made two bowlers bowl three overs apiece in the Powerplay more times? Never ever," he said.

"What does it tell you? One is that the bowlers are bowling well, but it's not limited to that. Rabada was hit for 21 runs in his first over that day (against RCB), and he brought him again for the second over. Here also, Rabada got hit when Vaibhav Suryavanshi went after him, but he brought him back again. He is not thinking about what would happen in the end. He goes nuclear straight up," Chopra observed.

Rabada was taken for 15 runs in his first over as Sooryavanshi hit the legendary seamer for two sixes. However, Shubman showed faith in him by not taking him out of the attack, and it paid dividends as Rabada dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer in his next two overs.