IPL 2025: Gujarat Titans' Vikram Solanki wary of SRH's big-hitting threat

India Today

Gujarat Titans' director of cricket Vikram Solanki is wary of the batting threat that SunRisers Hyderabad bring with them in the IPL 2025. SRH beat CSK in their previous match of the season.

Transcript

00:00I am asking a bit different question. Ashok Mistry from GTPL. The question is the last

00:12match, the way Vaibhav has played. You feel that this is the right time to enter into

00:20the cricket and get along with it very correctly? The timing part of it I am talking about

00:26since you are connected with this thing. Vaibhav Raghuvanshi, the man who has played a great

00:31inning. You feel that this is the right age to be in the field of cricket at that particular

00:37age? I think to be totally honest with you, you are talking about Vaibhav Suryavanshi who

00:43played an outstanding knock, it has to be said, and everybody has commended the way he played

00:47and all credit to him. And I am sure it was an emotional time for his family, everybody

00:53that has been involved in his short journey to date. I am sure it was a very proud moment

00:58for all of them. So at first I suppose I would like to congratulate them all, and particularly

01:05the youngster for playing the way he did. As far as your question is concerned about is

01:11it the right age to enter into cricket and things, clearly it is in his case because he

01:14was quite phenomenal against us. But I don't think you can decide an appropriate age. There

01:23is no perfect age. If somebody is ready to play at a certain level, I think they should

01:28be allowed the opportunity and exposure to be able to do so. Credit to Rajasthan Royals for

01:35sort of spotting that talent and then giving that talent the opportunity. I am sure there might

01:40have been some reservations around age, but clearly he gave more than a better account

01:46of himself. He was quite simply brilliant.

01:50Sir, the team kept doing consistently well and then suddenly this match happens where

01:58one batter just goes on to make a big score and the team loses. But are there any takeaways,

02:07major takeaways from the last match, especially after having had done consistently well, then

02:14suddenly this match happens and the team gets decimated actually in that match and so are

02:19there any major takeaways from that match? Anything that the team has learned that they

02:23have to do well or correct themselves?

02:26Firstly, I don't think a team has been decimated or anything of the sort. That might be your opinion.

02:30It's not ours. As far as takeaways are concerned, there's always, of course, takeaways from any

02:35game, whether you win or you lose. You can, nobody is, you know, I'd suggest, and I'm not,

02:41you know, please don't quote me on this, but it's very difficult to play the perfect game in

02:46any sort of situation, particularly in the T20 format, in this sort of shorter format. There

02:51are phases of the games that you don't control. There are phases of the game where that you might not

02:56have been at your best across the three facets, whether it be batting, bowling, or fielding.

03:01So there's always takeaways, win or lose. And of course, there were lots of takeaways from

03:07the game we played against Rajshan. All of that said, and you yourself were lost for words in

03:13actually describing Sudavanchi and the way he played, we mustn't take any credit away from

03:19that young man. He played quite brilliantly. Of course, we could have done things differently.

03:24When we sort of look back and reflect upon that game, we could have done things differently.

03:29Yes, that is the case. We could have bowled better. We could have bowled in a slightly

03:33more controlling manner. We could have sort of shut him down, perhaps.

03:37But that's sport for you. You don't always get it right. And that's the beauty of sport, actually.

03:42I think that's why we appreciate sport as much as we do, because you don't get it right all of the time.

03:46And you must allow, it's our role within the group, within the team, to allow that opportunity

03:53for sometimes people to get things wrong. We sort of, we're very quick to congratulate people

03:59when things go right within our team. But we must also be supportive when things don't quite go right.

04:05Sometimes that will happen. It'll happen again as well, and we need to be supportive.

04:09We need to be supportive. What's important now is how we sort of respond the next game,

04:14how we go about our game the next game. That is what's important.

04:19Hi, I'm Dakshish Padak from Gujarat Samachar and GSTV. Having entered the IPL Arena in 2022,

04:28GT holds a unique distinction of playing two back-to-back finals, winning the first one in 2022

04:36and playing the final in 23. 24 was not that bad either. And how would you see Gujarat fairing

04:46in the further journey in IPL 25? Because, you know, when you start like a rocketing journey,

04:51the expectations soar. So till this juncture, Gujarat is going fine. So what are the coming challenges?

04:59Because the teams are getting, you know, their formation is getting better and better,

05:03the opponents. So how would you rate the chances?

05:07Firstly, thank you for acknowledging the fact that we'd started well. And up until now,

05:12we have played some very good cricket. We've played some indifferent cricket at times as well.

05:17But like I just said in the previous question, that is to be expected at times.

05:22Nobody plays the perfect game, the perfect season at any given time.

05:26What I would suggest is we're very proud of what we've achieved so far,

05:31but that's all in the past now. We must look ahead.

05:34But we must not get wrapped up in the idea of looking too far ahead.

05:39It's effectively the next game for us, this season for us.

05:43What's important is giving a good account of ourselves in the next game,

05:48finishing this season well, getting ourselves into a position where we are,

05:51where we want to be, come the end of this season, and then looking ahead.

05:55We must not fall into the trap of either looking too far behind or actually equally looking too far ahead.

06:02Let's just stay present in the moment.

06:04So I would suggest that all of us as a group, as players, as coaches, as a franchise as well actually,

06:10everybody that's involved with Gujarat Titans, we stay present.

06:16We stay present in the moment, we stay present in this game,

06:18and we look ahead after that to the next game.

06:21Then we look ahead at the end of the season where we're at, and then we can progress further.

06:28Hello, Ketal from In Time News.

06:30Congratulations, GT is going very well.

06:33But as we all know, SRH has very good batting order.

06:37What will your strategy to stall them or chase them?

06:42Firstly, thank you, ma'am.

06:45And you make a very good point.

06:48You've seen in the IPL that any team is capable of beating any team.

06:53You've seen that unfold across the years, and you've seen it unfold in this year as well.

06:57So we must pay the due respect that SRH deserve.

07:02They are a very strong team, and we will.

07:05We will be conscious of the threat that they have.

07:08They've got match winners across their team.

07:11What we will try and do is look after our game.

07:15We'll respect the opposition as we always do, but we'll try and actually deliver our plans our game,

07:21and not look too far ahead as far as the opposition is concerned.

07:24If we can control our game, then we give ourselves the best opportunity against any opposition.

07:29And I'll repeat, that's not to suggest that we don't respect the opposition, because we really do.

07:34They're some phenomenal players.

07:35They had a great year last year.

07:37They've shown glimpses this year of how attacking they can be with the bat.

07:42They've got some fine bowlers as well.

07:44So we'll always respect SRH, as we will any of the other opposition in the IPL.

07:49Hello, Vikram.

07:52Hi.

07:53All departments are firing for GT at the moment.

07:57Good position in the points table as well.

07:59Can we also see at some point with the bench strength being tested with the likes of Mahipal

08:05or Anuj being thrown in the mix as well?

08:08We're at what is an important junction in the season.

08:12As far as the next game is concerned, it's not a matter of testing our bench strength or anything like that.

08:21It's about being focused on this game.

08:23We'll look ahead after that.

08:25It might very well be a different sort of story if the points table was very different.

08:31But at the moment, we are in a fight with the rest of the teams as far as qualification is concerned.

08:37So that is a matter to address after those matters are taken care of.

08:41Vikram, a word on Subban Gil's captaincy and the way his batting has blossomed in this tournament.

08:50As far as captaincy is concerned, your thoughts and obviously his batting.

08:54Do you have any fitness update on him given what happened in the previous game?

08:57Can you share any update on his fitness?

09:00Yeah, Subban, firstly I'll take it in turn.

09:03As far as his captaincy is concerned, he continues to grow as a captain, as a leader.

09:07He's blossoming as you've rightly pointed out.

09:10He's getting to know his team.

09:11He's getting to understand all the nuances that leadership involves as far as strategic

09:17decisions as well as actually the relationships that he's got with all of the players.

09:22So he is growing as a captain day by day.

09:25He will be the first to admit that it's a long journey, isn't it?

09:29We never stop learning in this game, certainly.

09:31And as far as leaders are concerned, whether it be in the sporting field or any other sphere,

09:36you must be open to the idea of learning.

09:39And Subban certainly is that.

09:41So I wish him well on that journey.

09:43We'll do all we can to support him.

09:45The coaches will do all we can to support him.

09:47As far as his batting is concerned, he is an exceptional player, isn't he?

09:56I think what captain sees, I suppose, just made him understand that additional responsibility.

10:05Although he must always scratch his guard as a batsman, he must always, when he's actually

10:10taking care of his game, he must always remain focused on his own game.

10:15It seems as though some players sometimes thrive without additional responsibility,

10:19and Subban certainly seems to be one of those players.

10:21So I'm pleased that he's playing well.

10:24His fitness, you know, there was a bit of a back spasm.

10:28Just try to be careful with it.

10:31He'll be at training today.

10:33We'll just see where he's at.

10:35But we're reasonably confident that he's going to be okay.

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