Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has offered his unique take on Shubman Gill’s appointment as the Indian Test captain, saying that it will be pleasing to certain “Brown Sahibs" since the Punjab lad is well versed in English.

In his column for mid-day, Gavaskar claimed that there was a period in Indian cricket when the ‘powers that be’ considered having a good grasp over English as a necessary qualification to become the team captain.

Gill, 25, was named new Test skipper on Saturday (May 24) as India embark on a new WTC cycle with the tour of England next month.

India’s Test captaincy post was vacant after Rohit Sharma’s sudden retirement from the longest format earlier this 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.

“For far too long, it was perceived by the powers that be, that speaking good English was a prerequisite to being the Indian captain," Gavaskar wrote. “It didn’t matter if you were cricket savvy and had the team behind you, but if you did not speak good English, there would be a frown on the faces of certain Brown sahibs."

Gavaskar, the first batter to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, is glad that the phase has been consigned to history now and Indian cricket’s decision makers are no longer interested in how Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodian of cricket laws, perceives them.

“Thankfully, that time has passed and it is no longer important what MCC thinks of you, as long as you can rally and lead the troops into battle on the cricket field. It also helped if the captain of the Indian team was media presentable even if he did not always speak Queen’s English," Gavaskar stated.

“Shubman Gill’s appointment would delight those brown sahibs as he fulfils every requirement that they felt was needed to be the captain of the Indian cricket team, especially on a tour to old Blighty," he added.

The 75-year-old also opined that the selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has picked a balanced squad for the upcoming England tour, starting June 20 in Leeds.

“The Indian team looks well balanced, and now with BCCI having enough funds, the selectors’ jobs are a bit easier as they can pick 18 instead of the 16 that most other teams choose. So, they have taken six new-ball users plus Nitish Reddy who can bowl lively medium pace," Gavaskar wrote.