CHENNAI: Being a member of the Protea team then, South African pacer Gerald Coetzee had seen Shubman Gill leading India U19 to World Cup triumph in 2018 from close quarters. Seven years later, the bowler is in the country playing under Gill, who recently has been made India's 37th Test captain for the England tour, representing Gujarat Titans in the 2025 IPL.
Both Gill and Coetzee have grown by leaps and bounds as international cricketers since then with the former being elevated as the India skipper in the longest format. Coetzee endorsed the decision. "I'm not really involved with Indian cricket that much but I think it's a good decision," Coetzee said in a media interaction on Tuesday.
Elaborating further, the pacer said, "I mean, he's been a really good captain for us. He's really calm and he also stands up for the players. So, you know, tactically, he's good. It's all good qualities for a good captain. He's reasonably young so hopefully he keeps playing for India, he's already a world-class player. If he becomes a world-class captain, I mean, that'll only be to the benefit of Indian cricket."
In 2018, Gill had led from the front scoring heavily to be placed second in the leading scorers' list. His exploits helped him bag the player of the series award. Nothing seems to have changed much in that regard as Gill is the second leading scorer in the IPL with 649 runs from 14 innings. Coetzee said Gill is tactically good and also keeps bowlers' perspective in mind while arriving at any decision. "... he allows the bowler to express what he's thinking. And if he feels something different, there will be a very short discussion and then a decision would be made, which I think is a really good quality for a captain. You want the bowler who is bowling the ball to set his field but the captain also is the main leader. So, he might have a tactical idea. And that's how there's a short conversation and a decision is made. So, yeah, the clarity has been good. I think he's excellent when it comes to that department."
Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Nehra too remains involved with the game during the match and is known to convey messages to the captain or other players from outside if the need arises. Coetzee believes the advice from the coach only helps players on the field. "... as everyone's seen, he's very observant and he gets the messages onto the field, which is great for us. Because it's sometimes tough when you're in the moment to see the full picture, whereas he's got a bit of a remote perspective. So, you know, all those things are really helpful. I mean, he's played a lot so he's got so much experience and he's obviously a really good coach. Combine those two and it's been really good for the bowlers to just soak up all that knowledge."
Gujarat have a lethal pace attack in Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna and Coetzee himself. The South African feels the same but says all of them have different skill sets. "Those are all good bowlers. They all have a set skill that they're really good at. Yes, we all go fast, but we all have slightly different strengths. When I play a game, I get told what is expected of me, which might not be the same as what is expected of the other guys."
Coetzee affirms his team has a good chance in the playoffs as they are really a consistent team. Speaking on the strengths of the side, he said, "The strength is the players and the coaching staff. I think we have been consistent. We have a well-balanced side and we play well together as a team. I think everyone chips in. We obviously have had some great contributions. Whenever you have players in contention for purple cap, orange cap, I mean, that is gold and then when you have other guys playing cameos, helping to win games, I think that's a great combination for a winning team."
Gujarat might have lost two straight games since qualifying for the playoffs but Coetzee says it will not matter when they contest for a place in the final.
"I think we have our blueprint. We know what we have done to win games. We know what we did wrong when we didn't win these games and we also have to give credit where other teams played well, we also have to look at where we made some mistakes and you just take that into the next game. We have played against all these teams we are about to play against. We know what they're going to bring. I think our chances are very good of kicking on (6:53) till the final, hopefully winning this tournament.
He was all praise for Karnataka pacer Krishna and said there is a lot similar between him and his Indian teammate. "With Prasidh, yeah, I think we do have similarities. I think whenever you also play consistently, like he also had some struggle with injuries. He's back now, he's playing consistently. Someone of his class, the more he's going to play, the better he's going to get. And yeah, for me to learn from him, he keeps it really simple. There's not any rocket science going on over there and that's to his credit, keeping it simple in a format where we often try to complicate things. I think he's done really well."
Coetzee also congratulated teammate B Sai Sudharsan for getting picked in the India squad for the England tour. "I have spoken to him, congratulated him, he definitely deserved it. I think he is going to be, he already is a world-class batter and I think he's only going to get better."
Touted as one of the best pacers from his country, injuries have pegged Coetzee back ever since he made his senior international debut two years ago. Coetzee says it's frustrating but at the same time believes he has done well in the matches he has played so far. "Yeah, injury is always frustrating. I think I've done pretty well for the games I've got to play, the India series and things, stuff like that. Injuries are part of the game. If you look at most fast bowlers who bowl 145 plus on the circuit today, they all struggle. It happens. So some frustration, but also understanding the process and the journey of a fast bowler. The 2023 World Cup was a great chance to do well and I'm grateful I did. I've got, hopefully, God willing, many more years of cricket left and we just try and get better, try and get stronger, learn the lessons and move on."