Kane Williamson had a very short stint in the Indian Premier League last season as the Kiwi injured his knee while fielding in the opening clash between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. The New Zealand skipper had to undergo the knife and an extensive rehab before he returned to the field. Those were frustrating times but he is fully fit and available for GT’s 2024 campaign.
The 33-year-old attended the side’s pre-season camp and can’t wait for the season to get underway. In an exclusive chat with CricketNext, the seasoned campaigner opens up on new captain Shubman Gill, the bouncer rule, showers praise on his NZ teammates and picks the GT players who have impressed him the most.
Edited excerpts:
How good does it feel to be back in GT colours and be available for the complete season. Especially after the injury last year.
I mean great to be back. Obviously last season I was there for five minutes, but it was frustrating and a real learning curve and a real process in terms of the recovery and rehab after that injury. I really enjoyed my brief time here last year. So it’s great to be back and get around the group and looking forward to start of the season.
Any word to the new captain already regarding keeping you away from the position where you injured yourself last season?
That’s a very good point. I will try and corner him at some stage.
A lot has changed in the GT camp from the last time you were here. There’s a new captain in Shubman Gill. Your thoughts on him and the support you would look to give him as he enters into this captaincy territory.
Shubman’s talent is out of the world. He’s such a gifted cricketer and incredible to watch and it makes it look all very easy. So a special player and had an incredible season last year and it’s just continued on and all the formats playing for India as well. So that’s exciting and a great cricketing brain and a young guy with a lot of energy. He’s really excited at this opportunity and can’t see no doubt something that he’s been quite keen to get involved in. He’s got a great opportunity here at Gujarat. And my role, you know, it’s basically to support and help wherever he sees best fit.
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Also just buying into his vision, along with, you know, the support staff. There is great leadership among the support staff and that will be very helpful.
I wouldn’t ask you to reveal your trade secret but if there is one advice which you would give Shubman with regards to captaincy, what would it be?
Being authentic is very important and he seems like a very authentic guy in terms of how he goes about everything that he does. So that probably doesn’t need to be said. But yeah, I am looking to support, if needed. He has got great cricketing brain and lot of great attributes as a leader. So he is excited to get started and start walking that path, which is slightly different and one with a few more responsibilities. But I am sure he will be fine and do a great job.
You have a Kane fan boy in the GT camp. The last time I spoke to him, he was very excited to meet you and pick your mind. How have the interactions been like with Sai Sudharsan?
We have had a few chats and he is an amazing player. He had a fantastic last year and went on to represent India which is an amazing achievement. He is a young guy with a lot of ambition and huge amount of talent. He works extremely hard and he is going to keep getting better. He is a fantastic guy to chat about the game and another player in the camp that’s excited to get the season started.
Every year, we see T20 batting reach newer heights. How much of a role nowadays do you see of anchors. Players who would take time initially and look to take the game deep?
I don’t think there’s one brand in T20 cricket. You, as a team, need to know what the recipe is and then look to repeat that. I have never really liked the word anchor. I think everybody has a different skill set and buy into what’s required and the role they have in the team. I think it’s just a balance between style of cricketers that you put into a side that work together. With myself and players that are similar, it’s working with your strengths and continuing to try and improve and bring in different options to assist in the role that you might have in a team.
The IPL 2024 rule book now permits fast bowlers to bowl two bouncers in an over. How much does that change how a batter prepares or anticipates?
It brings in a slightly different dynamic. I think it’s a good thing. It’s nice for bowlers to be able to vary their length more. With the impact player rule last season, the volume of runs increased as there was more batting depth in every team. So this is an added weapon for bowlers and no doubt will be something utilised by all teams.
Shifting your focus down South for a bit. How excited are you for Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra getting CSK contracts and likely to get consistent game time in the IPL?
Both different players, having slightly different journeys but have been formidable in the last year. Especially Rachin. Daryll over the last few years in all formats. You keep seeing their game evolve, taking an upward steep curve and that has been amazing for our team (New Zealand). It’s great to see them rewarded and IPL is one of the best competitions in the world. And like you said, they are all set to get consistent game time which they deserve and certainly have the quality that demands.
Both different players. One at top of the order and one in the middle but both are versatile at what they do and both great people. I think that’s really, along with talent and skill too, what makes them who they are and helps them achieve what they have been able to in recent times.
Now a quick pick. One player or may be two from the GT camp who have impressed you the most since you have come here. Sai and Gill aren’t the available options here. So you have to look beyond them.
You come here every time and go to training and the talent is like incredible. You are meeting new people and they walk into the nets and smash it absolutely everywhere. That’s remarkable to watch from a batting perspective. One player would be Wriddhiman Saha because he really commits to the team’s cause. And another young guy Kartik Tyagi. He bowls at high pace and swings it too. So a really exciting talent and player to watch out for.
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