Mullanpur, March 30 Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden has praised captain Shubman Gill for his growth as a batter and leader, saying the India star's clarity of thought and modern-day confidence have shaped his evolution at the highest level.
GT will face Punjab Kings in their IPL 2026 opener here on Tuesday.
"Yeah, see, Shubman is a very clear thinker of the game, and that shows he understood cricket well, obviously at the highest level of cricket and Test cricket," Hayden said.
"He brings a lot of confidence. In other words, he brings a bit of the swagger of the modern generation, which I really enjoy, that feeling that he is in control and he is shaping his own destiny.
"But whatever team he plays with, he always puts the team first, and I have seen this in many different press conferences, that it's very team-oriented," the former opening batsman said on Monday.
The former Australia opener, who is currently the batting coach of Gujarat Titans, also expressed confidence in the team's batting unit heading into the new season.
"There were no obvious weaknesses last season. The top three batsmen had a great foundation, built through some outstanding middle-order players, and they finished strongly as they did last year.
"So the metrics are really solid going into this season. The small areas of improvement will come as the tournament progresses," he added.
