The Indian red-ball cricket officially moved to a new era with the announcement of Shubman Gill as the new captain in the Test format on Saturday. The 25-year-old’s first assignment will be a stern task to lead India for a five-match Test tour of England, where his deputy will be wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant. Gill said getting India’s captaincy has been “overwhelming”, but it is a dream-come-true moment for him.
“It is definitely a bit overwhelming. As a young kid, when anyone starts playing cricket, they want to play for India — and not just play for India, but play Test cricket for India for a very long time,” said Gill in a video released by the BCCI.
“I’m looking forward to this exciting opportunity. And I think the series, the upcoming series in England, is going to be a very exciting one. I believe in leading by example, not just by performance, but also off the field by discipline and hard work,” he added.
Speaking on what captaincy means to him and how he sees this challenge. He said, “As a captain, a leader should be able to know when to step in, but also when to give space to the players, because everyone has kind of had a different life and grown up differently. Everyone has a different personality. So a good leader should always be able to know what makes his players perform at their best or achieve the best outcome.”
Gill also said that former Indian Test captains and had “very contrasting styles” of leadership. However, the two stalwarts, along with spinner , have given the Indian team the “blueprint to win” Test series away from home. “(The) guys like Rohit bhai, Virat bhai and Ashwin bhai… they have given us a blueprint on how to tour away from home and win matches and series. Yes, it’s one thing to be able to deliver and execute, but because we have that blueprint, we know how to tour away from home and win matches and series,” he said.
