London: There’s a dawn to a new era in Indian cricket with Shubman Gill set to lead the team in the Test format, starting with the five-match series against England from tomorrow.
Gill will have big shoes to fill as he takes on the baton from predecessors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom have retired from the format in May 2025.
Gill’s challenge will not only limit him to leading the national team but will extend to finding ways to fill in the void left by the two talismans, who have been in the whites for years now. The right-handed batter has auditioned himself in the role in the Indian Premier League, in which he has been leading Gujarat Titans for two years now, and a handful of first-class matches for Punjab.
The new Test captain wants to build a culture in the Indian team where ‘everyone is very secure and happy’ as he looks to extend his tenure beyond the desired trophies and silverware. “It was like, not even in my dreams, I thought I wanted to be the captain of the Indian cricket team. So, apart from all the silverware and trophies aside, I really would like to build a team culture where everyone is very secure and happy,” Gill told Sky Sports.
“I know it can be a very difficult environment, especially with all the competition and the number of matches that we play, different squads coming in. But if I’m able to do that, I think that would be my goal. “So, keeping a secure environment and making the player feel secure in his abilities and his capabilities, I feel, is one of the most important things that a leader has to do,” he added.
Gill speaks on Rohit’s leadership
Meanwhile, the new Test skipper also spoke about the leadership of Rohit Sharma, who was the recent Test captain, having led the team from 2022 onwards. “It can seem like he is not aggressive, but Rohit is very aggressive in terms of his tactics. He is very clear with his communication before the matches, during the series, and even after the series, what he wants from the players,” he said on Rohit.
He highlighted how Rohit had maintained an environment during his days. “The kind of environment Rohit bhai kept, even if Rohit bhai is swearing at you, you would not take it to your heart. That’s just kind of his personality. I think that’s a great trait to have.
“He’s firm, but even if he’s being hard on you, you know that it’s not coming from his heart. It’s coming from a team perspective. This is a conversation that I’ve had with Rohit bhai a couple of times, that ideally in the next 5, 7, or 10, or 15 years, where would we want the Indian cricket team culture to be?” added Gill.
