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Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra feels that Shahrukh Khan will be the key man for them in the lower-middle order as a finisher in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Under Nehra’s guidance, the young players of the Gujarat Titans have flourished in the last few seasons. It will be a big task for Nehra in IPL 2024 to manage the young players as they will be playing with an inexperienced captain Shubman Gill. The franchise also needs to find the ideal replacement for Hardik Pandy in both the batting and bowling departments.
The 2022 IPL champions spent a lot of money in the IPL 2024 auction to sign some young talents who can fill the big shoes. They signed Shahrukh for a whopping INR 7.4 crore despite his disappointing record in IPL for Punjab Kings in the last few seasons.
The Tamil Nadu batsman has scored just 426 runs in 33 IPL matches so far in his career at an average of 20.29. Meanwhile, he needs to step up and improve on occasions for Gujarat in the upcoming season.
Nehra has predicted that Shahrukh will play the important role of finisher for the Titans in the upcoming season.
“We are going to see Shahrukh Khan become the lead actor,” Nehra told the media.
The veteran India pacer suggested that the players also need to take care of their bodies as the conditions will be tough for them in May.
“The IPL is a very long tournament. It’s not like we play just three, four or five matches. The conditions are also difficult in May and June. It will be tough on the players, especially the fast bowlers. Injuries can also happen. So Every player we have is important and the ones we have have experience,” he added.
Meanwhile, he also suggested that the other two new signings, Spencer Johnson and Azmatullah Omarzai, will be crucial for the Titans.
“Spencer Johnson, wherever he has played, he has played well. Azmatullah Omarzai again, he has all the skills in the world as an all-rounder and we are very hopeful that they will have a great IPL,” he said.
In the absence of Mohammed Shami, ace-spinner Rashid Khan has to lead the Titans’ bowling attack. However, Nehra said that they have not yet decided what kind of pitches they will prepare for IPL 2024.
“We haven’t decided, but I don’t think so… In the end, you just have to play good cricket. Black ground or red ground, it doesn’t make much difference. It’s just a little bounce,” he added.
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