‘Steve Smith is the kind of player they want’ - Sanjay Manjrekar feels Smith can add value to Gujarat Titans' squad

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes Australia captain Steve Smith could be an excellent addition to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Kane Williamson's absence. On March 31, Williamson got injured during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). 

After eight years with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Williamson was signed by the defending champions for INR 2 crore at the mini-player auction last year. Unfortunately, due to an early injury, he has been ruled out of the entire season.

Smith, according to Manjrekar, would be an ideal replacement for the New Zealand batter par excellence. He believes that Titans require a player like Smith.

“I think that would be a brilliant call, and Steve Smith is the kind of player they want, somebody who can play all kinds of gears," Manjrekar said as quoted by News18. 

Mentioning the Australian's leadership abilities, Manjrekar stated that if Gujarat sign him, Hardik Pandya and Co. will benefit greatly from his astute nature as a leader. Notably, in the absence of Pat Cummins, he captained Australia and managed a win and a draw in the final two Tests of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“Plus with the new rules, I’d love to see Smith’s captaincy, we saw that and we were raving about it in the India-Australia series," Manjrekar said.

“Hardik Pandya needs a bit of help, he confessed, ‘I have no idea what my tactics are, so I’m going to leave it to the others.’ So, that could be a great call,” the 57-year-old added.  

Gujarat Titans will play Delhi Capitals on Tuesday in Delhi

Gujarat successfully chased down MS Dhoni and Co's 179-run target in the IPL 2023 opener and registered a five-wicket win with four deliveries remaining. Ruturaj Gaikwad, the CSK opener, batted brilliantly for his team, scoring 92 runs off 50 balls. Titans will next face Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on April 4.