Shubman Gill is all set to make his Test captaincy debut with the England tour.
Shubman Gill is all set to make his Test captaincy debut as India embark on a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with the England tour, starting June 20 in Leeds.
India’s Test captaincy post was vacant after Rohit Sharma’s sudden retirement from the longest format last month.
Even though Jasprit Bumrah had led India in a couple of Test matches in Rohit’s absence during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, the selectors put their faith on Gill for the leadership role. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was named the vice-captain.
Ahead of his maiden Test assignment as skipper, Shubman Gill has received encouraging words from his teammate KL Rahul.
Speaking to Sony Sports Network, Rahul revealed that he reached out to Gill ‘the minute’ the latter was announced as the Test captain.
Rahul told the 25-year-old that he’d always have him as a guiding hand if and when he needed any help in the new journey.
“I reached out to Shubman the minute the team was announced, and when he was announced (as) the captain," Rahul said.
“(I told him) You will always find me around, any help, any guidance, if you need someone to share something with or talk to, I’m always there. But I believe you need to give people their space to really follow their gut instinct. If they need help, I’m always there," he added.
“We have been together. (If) we don’t get results our way, somewhere along the way, everyone makes mistakes. That’s not going to change. We are going to try and help out everyone in the team. I’m always there," he continued.
Since making his Test debut in 2020, Shubman Gill has played 32 matches, scoring 1893 runs at an average of 35.05. However, his numbers aren’t quite impressive in overseas conditions.
So far, Gill has amassed 559 runs in 13 Tests across SENA countries and the West Indies, averaging just 25 with only two half-centuries in 24 innings. He will be keen to improve his Test stats with the additional responsibility of captaincy.
After the series opener in Leeds, the two teams will move to Edgbaston (July 2-6) for the second Test, followed by matches at Lord’s (July 10-14), Old Trafford (July 23-27) and The Oval (July 31-August 4).