Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 30 (ANI): Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill spoke about the physical and mental challenges of playing multiple venues in quick succession ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday.

During the pre-match press conference on Saturday, Gill said Dharamsala is kind of a difficult venue to get to and travel.

'But yes, physically they might have an advantage, but I think finals are all about mental toughness. So the team that is mentally up for the challenge is the one that's going to win.'

Gill also addressed his long-term ambitions in T20 cricket while balancing his commitments in Tests and ODIs. 'I'd be happy to play if, you know, I get picked for the T20 team. But I honestly want to keep working on my game. Doesn't matter what format it is. I want to keep getting better as a T20 batsman, as an ODI batsman, as a Test batsman, you know, cricket is such a game you can never really get perfect, but obviously you can strive for it, and that's what I try to do.'

Gill also lauded teammate Sai Sudharsan for his remarkable consistency and intensity on the field, highlighting his work ethic as a key strength.

'I think in a tournament like IPL, you know, when I first started playing, one of the things that one of the challenges that I faced was to keep playing the matches at the same intensity. And I think that is one of his biggest strengths, Sai. You know, you play so many matches, there could be days where mentally you don't feel up to the mark or physically you don't feel up to the mark.'

The pair of Gill and Sai has emerged as one of the most successful opening combinations in IPL history. Since joining forces in 2022, Gill and Sudharsan have accumulated 2,944 runs together, second only to the legendary partnership of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.

Sudharsan, who claimed the Orange Cap last season with 759 runs, has continued his rich form this year, while Gill has also been among the leading run-getters.

'But to be able to have the same intensity in all of the matches and be consistent in your preparation, in your routine, is not that easy, and he is very consistent in his routines, in his life outside of cricket. So that's what makes him consistent on the field as well.'

Gill also praised the team's star pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj for having a brilliant run in the ongoing IPL season.

'The message is simple. When you're bowling with the new ball if there is a little bit in the wicket, as a batsman I know the hardest ball to hit is obviously that good length ball, but that good length changes according to the wicket. You know, if you're playing on black soil, if there is grass on it, if there is no grass, if you're playing on red soil. So that length...there's a lot of talk about length, length, length, but the length is not the same on all the venues. It varies, probably a meter back or forth,' he said.

'I mean there's a reason why test match length works because it is the hardest ball to hit as a batsman with the new ball. But I think the way we executed our bouncers today, it was quite exceptional. We think in every over we used our bouncers very well and the accuracy of bouncers that we bowled--I've actually not seen in a T20 game--the number of bouncers we used and the success that we got was tremendous,' he added. (ANI)