Shubman Gill will captain India in Tests on England tour, replacing Rohit Sharma.
After being selected as India's captain for the game's longest format, Shubman Gill promised to emulate Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin in Test cricket.
When Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, revealed an 18-man squad for the forthcoming five-Test series against England, which starts on June 20, the 25-year-old was officially named India's Test captain on Saturday.
In his 32 Test matches thus far, Gill has amassed 1893 runs at an average of 35.05. When the right-hander arrives in the UK to face Ben Stokes and company, he will face a trial by fire because he has not yet proven himself in a foreign environment.
Gill has played 3 Tests in England, registering just 88 runs at a below-par average of 14.66. Out of these three matches, two were World Test Championship (WTC) finals—one against New Zealand (2021) and one against Australia (2023).
Gill will serve as captain and Rishabh Pant as his deputy for the forthcoming series against England. The Gujarat Titans IPL captain responded to his assignment by saying it is an enormous honor to represent India in the longest format.
"It is definitely a bit overwhelming. As a young kid, when anyone starts playing cricket, they want to play for India. And not just play for India, but play Test cricket for India for a very long time. To be able to get this opportunity is a great honor, and it's a big responsibility. I'm looking forward to this exciting opportunity, and I think the upcoming series in England is going to be a very exciting one," Gill said in an interview with BCCI.
"I believe in leading by example, not just by performance, but I think off the field by discipline and hard work. As a captain, a leader should be able to know when to step in but also when to give space to the players. Because everyone has kind of had a different life and grown up differently, everyone has a different personality. So, a good leader should always be able to know what makes their place able to have the best performance or the best outcome," he added.
As India gets ready to live without Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill faces a formidable task. Earlier this month, days before the England series squad was announced, Rohit and Virat retired from Test cricket, while the off-spinner ended his international career midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
"Guys like Rohit bhai, Virat bhai, and Ashwin bhai, they have given us a blueprint on how to tour away from home and win matches and series. Yes, it's one thing to be able to deliver and execute. But because we have that blueprint, we know how to tour away from home and win matches and series," said Gill.
Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this month, will hand off the captaincy to Gill. Virat Kohli was the captain prior to Rohit, and during the past ten years, both players have performed admirably for the Test team.
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With 40 victories throughout his time as captain, Kohli is the most successful Indian skipper. India gained international recognition under Kohli. He was responsible for India's first series victory in Australia.
While discussing India's next Test assignment, Gill also discussed Kohli and Rohit's different leadership styles.
“You want to be able to win as a captain, and your style can be different. But they were both very different, but also similar in their own sense. Virat bhai was always very aggressive, always wanting to lead from the front with hunger and passion. Rohit bhai was also aggressive. But you might not see that in their reaction or their expressions,” said Gill.
“But he was also someone who was always very attacking on the field. Rohit bhai was very calm and tactically always very present. And he's very communicative with the players about what he wants from them players. And so these are the qualities that I learned from him,” he added.
On June 20, India and England will kick off their five-match Test series in Leeds. Edgbaston (July 2–6), Lord's (July 10–14), Old Trafford (July 23–27), and The Oval (July 31–August 4) will host the remaining games.