Gill has been named India's Test and ODI captain this year.
The year 2025 has been a memorable one for Shubman Gill, who was handed India’s Test captaincy after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the longest format in May.
In his maiden assignment as Test skipper, Gill led the team from the front in England, amassing 754 runs with the help of four centuries to help India pull off a 2-2 draw in the five-match series.
Following his heroics in England, Gill replaced Rohit as ODI skipper. He is also serving as Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy in T20Is, and all indications point in one direction that the 26-year-old is set to become India’s all-format captain in the future.
Speaking on Vicky Lalwani's YouTube channel, former BCCI selector Salil Ankola revealed that the board considered Gill as a candidate to replace Rohit when the time came in 2023. It was the year when Gill took the cricketing world by storm, smashing centuries and double hundreds for fun, and despite missing two World Cup games due to dengue, he scored over 350 runs in nine innings.
“We always thought Gill would become the captain. We had considered him for the role as early as 2023, believing he would take the reins into his hands. Selectors do take suggestions-not only from the coach and captain but also from other senior players. They also felt he was the right guy, even those who retired earlier,” said Ankola.
“It is a collective decision. Everyone felt it, and he proved it in England. What a series he had! Under such pressure, if he scores 750 runs in England, that shows his mental capacity. People will say someone else should have been captain, or bring someone back. Humans are very unsatisfied souls. Whatever good you do, they will find something bad in it. People think they know everything,” Ankola added.
Shubman Gill is currently featuring in the five-T20I series against South Africa at home. He missed the Test and ODI series against the Proteas due to neck injury.
Gill was dismissed for only four runs in the T20I series opener at Cuttack. He will be keen to play a big knock in the second match, scheduled for Thursday (December 11) in Chandigarh.