“Better to Drop Catches Now Than in Playoffs”: Shubman Gill After KKR Defeat

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill did not hold back while assessing his side’s costly fielding errors.

After their 29-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Saturday, admitting the dropped catches proved decisive in the contest. After putting down four chances in the field, Gujarat Titans watched KKR pile up a massive 247/2 — a total that eventually proved too steep despite GT finishing with an impressive 218 in the chase.

Gill said his side failed to maintain its usual fielding standards and felt the result was a fair reflection of their performance on the field.

“We set a certain standard and dropping three sitters, we didn’t deserve to win this one. Looking at it that way, it’s better to have a game like this now than during the Qualifiers,” Gill said after the match.

GT’s difficult evening in the field started early when explosive opener Finn Allen was handed multiple reprieves. The New Zealand batter capitalised in brutal fashion, smashing 93 off just 35 balls, including 10 sixes.

Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi also benefited from a dropped chance before scoring 82 off 44 deliveries, while Cameron Green survived another opportunity and remained unbeaten on 52 from 28 balls.

Their aggressive strokeplay powered KKR to one of their highest totals of the season and snapped Gujarat Titans’ five-match winning streak. Despite the defeat, Gill believed the pitch was not overly difficult and felt GT could have remained firmly in the contest with cleaner fielding.

“Looking at the wicket, 200-210 was probably a par score, but we dropped too many catches. The pitch was good, though a few balls stopped a bit. I thought we batted well to get to the score we did. No major concerns, but our fielding definitely needs to improve,” he added.

GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel echoed the skipper’s views, stressing that missed opportunities in the field made the biggest difference in a high-scoring encounter.

“When you play against quality batters in games like these, you don’t get too many chances. Once those opportunities come, you have to grab them, and I think that was the difference tonight,” Parthiv said.

While Gujarat Titans continue to remain in a strong position in the playoff race, the defeat served as a timely reminder that fielding lapses can become costly as the tournament heads towards the knockout stage.