Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane has heaped praise on Shubman Gill amid the ongoing India versus New Zealand ODI series, highlighting his impressive blend of batting confidence and evolving leadership maturity.
As the Indian team navigates its long-term transition, Rahane noted that Gill’s batting has remained brilliant and unaffected by the captaincy, a feat backed by his rise to the top of the ODI batting rankings.
"Shubman's performance, batting-wise, has been brilliant. His records tell you a story. What I like most about him and the way he plays is his confidence," Rahane said on his YouTube channel.
Rahane specifically singled out Gill’s supreme confidence as his most striking trait on the field. "The way he walks onto the field, his attitude, that intent, is very important. Form can fluctuate. You score runs one day, you might not the next, but Shubman obviously has that confidence, and he has been scoring runs of late," he added.
Gill has cemented his reputation as a world-class batter in both white-ball and Test cricket. Chasing a daunting target of 406 against the West Indies in Guwahati in September, he slammed 223* off 133 balls to script India’s historic win. His heavy run-scoring was equally monumental in his maiden Test series as captain on the tour of England last year.
Rahane commended Gill’s development as a leader, emphasizing his smart handling of players, effective rotation of bowlers, and timely field or bowling changes.
"But the most important thing is how he is improving as a captain with every series. He is handling the players very maturely, rotating his bowlers and making the right changes. So, those are good signs that he is growing with every series," Rahane remarked.
Shubman Gill will lead India for the first three ODIs against New Zealand before stepping away to prepare for the two-Test series, starting November 19 in Wellington.
Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will take over the captaincy for the last two ODIs in Mount Maunganu on November 13 and November 15. India are leading the five-match series 1-0 after winning the rain-marred first ODI by five wickets in Auckland.
