India head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed Shubman Gill's promotion to India captaincy in Tests and ODIs in place of Rohit and declared that the 26-year-old "deserves" it. This move comes as the Indian team undergoes a phase of transition after veteran cricketers R. Ashwin, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma called time on their careers.

While Ashwin has retired from all international cricket, Kohli and Rohit have bid goodbye to Test and T20I cricket. Hence, the BCCI selectors also took the first step in building for the ICC World Cup in 2027, naming Shubman Gill as ODI captain, and his first assignment will be a three-match 50-over series in Australia.

The series opener in Perth will mark Rohit and Virat's first appearance for India since lifting the Champions Trophy title unbeaten in March.

Shubman Gill also took over as India captain in Tests after Rohit Sharma retired from the format in May. Gill led India to a 2-2 draw in the England Test series. And now, Gill has achieved his first Test series win, as India dominated West Indies 2-0 at home.

“(By) just allowing him to be himself. I think no one has done him a favor by appointing him the Test captain or (the) one-day captain. I think he deserves every bit of it. I think he's worked hard. He has already passed his toughest test as captain—that was in England, five tests away from home in tough conditions against a quality team,” Gambhir told reporters.

Leading a five-test series across two months for his first captaincy assignment in England, Gill's task could not have been more difficult, according to Gambhir.

"I know it's tough for him. It was tough, and I've said it many times that England was probably the toughest test for him. Five Test matches over the course of two and a half months against a quality England side. What more could he have faced?” he said.

Gambhir further said that the way Shubman Gill has handled himself has earned him the respect of the Indian dressing room and fellow teammates. Gill led from the front with the bat, scoring 754 runs in 10 test innings, including four centuries and a highest score of 269.

"Sometimes we only keep talking about the captain, but the way the team has responded to him and to his leadership is equally important. You've got to give credit to the entire group in that dressing room. You do earn respect by scoring runs, but you also earn respect by saying the right things and doing the right things. I think your actions should be more than anything else, not just the performances. He's done phenomenally well, and so has the group,” Gambhir said.

(PTI inputs)