Former India coach Gary Kirsten, under whom the Men in Blue won the 2011 World Cup, has stated that Shubman Gill has all the credentials to become a great captain for India. He also stated that the youngsters should instill the man-management skills that MS Dhoni possessed.

In the current Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Shubman Gill has amassed three hundreds from three Test matches against England after taking over as captain of the Indian team. He also has more than 600 runs in 3 tests with a highest score of 269.

Kirsten spoke about his captaincy in the England series thus far and said that Gill is a captain in progress.

“Well, it’s early days. I think he’s got great potential. Captaincy is a whole lot of things that you’ve got to put together. He’s a great thinker in the game. He’s a good player himself. But there’s a whole bunch of things you’ve got to get right. And I think man management is going to play, like any leader,” Kirsten said in an interview with Rediff.

However, Kirsten spoke about how legendary MS Dhoni was a great man manager, and Shubman Gill should pick up this quality from the legendary ex-captain.

“Dhoni was an incredible man-manager. If he can get that component of his leadership really fired up, I think he has all the credentials to become a great captain for India,” Kirsten added.

The current India head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was also part of the Indian team that won the 2011 World Cup under Gary Kirsten. The ex-South Africa opener spoke about Gambhir’s tenure as coach thus far.

“Well, I don’t know Gautam, the coach, at all. Gautam, the player, I absolutely loved. He’s got a toughness to him that is very useful. I think he’s really strong. But he’s got a personality, and he’s got a style. The big thing is, does that personality and style connect with Indian players? That’s really what it’s going to be about,” he added.

Gambhir has won the Indian Premier League title with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 as a mentor.

“He’s had success in the IPL. I remember when we split the one-day team and the Test team, and we made him the one-day captain against New Zealand before coming to South Africa. And he did a fantastic job. I don’t know enough about how it’s going or how he’s going with the players. But all I do know is that he’s got incredible skill in the game of cricket.

I’m thoroughly fond of Gautam, and I just hope that he’s getting the support he needs and that the players are starting to, if not already, kind of warm to him and understand how he wants to operate and whether he can add value to the team,” Kirsten concluded.

The England v. India Test series will resume with the fourth Test in Manchester from July 23 onwards.