Shubman Gill will be India's 37th Test captain when he walks out for Toss in 1st Test on June 20.
Shubman Gill will make his India Test captaincy debut when they clash with England in the first of the five-Test series in Leeds on June 20 onwards. Gill will replace Rohit Sharma as the India Test captain. This comes after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Tests in May.
In spite of his Test record, which, in all honesty, is quite promising, Gill has been favored to lead a youthful Team India while also improving his batting position.
Prior to the team's trip to the UK, Gill was asked how he would handle his new position, but for the first time, he gave a thorough explanation of its subtleties. Gill disclosed that although this is a significant position to manage, the BCCI, the head coach, and the chairman of selection, Ajit Agarkar, have no expectations.
"The expectations… I've had this conversation numerous times with Gauti bhai and Ajit bhai. They just want me to be able to express myself as a leader. That's what they've told me: 'There are no expectations.' They are not expecting me to do something I am not capable of. In terms of that, I don't think that there are any expectations or pressure from them, but you definitely have some kind of expectations of yourself as a leader and a player. So those are the expectations that I have from myself, but not from them," Gill said in an interview with Sky Sports.
Gill is aware that there is a massive mountain ahead in the absence of Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli, and Rohit. Since Gill will be leading a group of seniors that includes Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja, and because India hasn't won a Test series in England since 2007, he has a clear plan in place to make sure this exciting new chapter in his career gets off to a smooth start.
"Apart from all the silverware and trophies aside, I would ideally like to build a culture where everyone is very secure and happy. I know it can be a very difficult environment, especially with all the competition or the number of matches that we play and different squads coming in, but if I am able to do that, that would be my goal," added Gill.
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