Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said Shubman Gill will not find it easy as captain in the upcoming 5-match Test series against England and adviced the 25-year-old to show patience and composure while leading the side. The first Test is set to begin on Friday at Leeds.
“I think, take your time. It’s not going to be easy. He’s (Gill) been asked to do a tough job, that is to captain India on a tour of England,” Shastri said on the ICC Review.
“It’s never easy, but I think he will learn from this exposure. What I saw of him in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans, he seemed very composed and calm. He’s got a good temperament. He’s matured as an individual, he’s got some young players around with him, and I think it’s a learning curve as far as Shubman Gill goes,” he added.
Gill will lead a new-look India side who are in transition after the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin in the last few months. It is still early days in Gill’s Test career, with the youngster amassing 1893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 matches, since making his debut in December 2020.
Last month, Gill was named as Rohit’s successor following a meeting of the selection committee at the cricket board headquarters at Wankhede Stadium. Gill will be India’s 37th Test captain. His deputy for the England tour is Rishabh Pant.
Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had said Gill’s elevation as the captain was taken after seeing his ‘progress in the last year or two’.
“You don’t pick captains for one or two tours. You want to invest in something that will help us going forward. You are hoping it’s the right call. You are seeing progress in the last year or two. It is going to be as tough as it gets. Maybe he’ll have to learn on the job. But we are very confident and that is the reason we have picked him,” Agarkar said.