Gill took over the ODI leadership duties from Rohit in October 2025.
Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes has advised Shubman Gill to embrace the guidance of veteran campaigners Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli while maintaining confidence in his own unique captaincy approach.
Speaking on the intense pressures that come with international leadership, Rhodes stressed that asking for help from senior peers is not a negative mark on Gill’s captaincy.
Rhodes also believes having stalwarts like Rohit and Virat in the squad provides a massive reservoir of experience, especially for challenging conditions like the upcoming 2027 ICC World Cup in South Africa.
Since taking over the ODI leadership duties from Rohit Sharma in October 2025, Gill has won six games while losing as many matches.
"The key with being a leader is understanding that you've got these senior players around you, and it's not a negative mark on your captaincy if you ask around for help, or for opinions and ideas.
“Obviously, as the leader and the captain, you have to make the final choice. That's often the hardest thing about captaining so many experienced players, they all give you great options, but you now have to make the call. So, having the likes of Rohit and Virat in your setup, and Shubman has been pretty consistent in his energy levels, the way that he conducts himself as a captain, and prior to that, as a player, it's all very consistent.
“As long as he's not trying to be anybody else, which is impossible, because when you're under pressure, you always revert back to who you really are. He's gotten to that stride very quickly," Rhodes told JioStar.
Rhodes, the co-owner of the Rotterdam Dockers in the inaugural European T20 Premier League, emphasized that teams travelling to Southern Africa for the 2027 World Cup, to be co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, will have to adapt quickly to varying conditions across venues.
"It's interesting because what is impacted in the field is often the altitude. If you play at the coast, it's different to playing in Johannesburg or Pretoria, where altitude affects it. Similar to what we're trying to do with the ETPL, bringing cricket into Europe, we've also got Namibia and Zimbabwe, who are co-hosting the Cricket World Cup.
“The wickets in South Africa are pretty good, so there is not going to be much contest between bat and ball. There is good carry. I think from a point of view where you can hit down the line or through the line of the ball, as opposed to using the pace to run the ball down, the Indian players ramp the ball so well. They get inside and scoop the ball so well, so they've adapted really quickly to the modern world of cricket," he added.
While Rhodes rose to prominence with Inzamam-ul-Haq’s run-out in the 1992 World Cup, he considers his record-breaking five-catch performance against the West Indies at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium during the 1993 Hero Cup as his most cherished fielding memory.
"That run-out at the World Cup launched my career. People suddenly took notice of fielding. But I think the most amazing day for me in the field was when we were playing at Brabourne Stadium at CCI in 1993, the Hero Cup. South Africa were playing against the West Indies, and there were 20,000 people in the crowd.
“I took five catches, which afterwards I was told was a world record for fielding. I didn't even know there were records for fielding, it was just something that I loved doing. You kind of expect adoration and support in your own country, but when you're touring, and it was a neutral venue, we weren't playing against India. So, having 20,000 Indian fans chanting, 'Jonty, Jonty,' was something I will never, ever forget," he remarked.
(With IANS Inputs)