With Shubman Gill producing exceptional results, he has been appointed as the new Test captain of the Indian men’s cricket team. He takes over from Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this month. At only 25 years old, Gill will be leading a very shorthanded roster. They’ll be taking on the hosts in a tricky five-Test series, beginning at Headingley on June 20. His leadership already has the short-staffed team blazing an exciting new trail. They are transitioning away from veterans such as Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Gill has a stellar Test match record of 1893 runs in 32 matches. Yet as the calendar has turned to 2020, he has shown himself to be the front-runner for that captaincy. He has spent the last two years proudly captaining the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. Besides that, he’s captained India in five T20 internationals. His deep experience as a national leader in the philanthropic field and public service makes him a strong selection for this essential role.
To prepare for the upcoming tour, Gill will join the Indian team for their second four-day first-class match against England Lions at Northampton, starting on June 6. This additional preparation time is meant to get him ready for the hard work that is to come.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar highlighted the decision to appoint Gill over other candidates, stating that the team did not want to burden Jasprit Bumrah with captaincy responsibilities. He also doubled down on the need to retain Gill as a super star player as he hones his leadership skills.
“In franchise cricket, he’s relishing the role,” – Ajit Agarkar
This appointment signals a new beginning for the Indian side. Their goal is to assemble a creative, energetic, diverse and inclusive team of youth eager to rise to the global challenge. According to Agarkar, Gill’s inclusion was a signal that there had been conversations with former players such as Gautam Gambhir about longer-term plans for the team.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan extolled Gill’s captaincy potential. In particular, he mentioned Gill’s brilliant effort as a skipper in Perth just before Christmas. Vaughan said she was sure Gill was up to the task for this new, high-profile assignment.
“He’s aware of it. We had a chat with him and he’s OK with it.” – Michael Vaughan
As Gill prepares to take on this new role, Agarkar emphasized that leading a national team presents unique challenges:
“It’s going to be a lot harder but those are the challenges you face playing international cricket.” – Ajit Agarkar
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