Rohit Sharma recently announced his retirement from the longest format of the game, which led to the burning question of who will be India’s new Test skipper. The name that has been coming forward to take up the duties is star batter . Recently, Gujarat Titans‘ (GT) assistant coach Ashish Kapoor also praised Gill’s cricketing brain and spoke about his leadership qualities.
Gill, who is currently leading the Gujarat Titans in , recently guided his team to the playoffs with a convincing 10-wicket win over the Delhi Capitals. His unbeaten 93-run knock, along with B. Sai Sudharsan’s solid 108* off just 61 balls, sealed the Titans’ place in the knockout stages. After the game, Kapoor heaped huge praise on Gill, whom he has known since the Under-16 days.
“If you see Shubman as a batsman, or basically as a cricketer, whether he’s a good thinker or not, I think he’s a good thinker of his own game. I’ve seen him since the Under-16 days. In fact, I’ve done two camps with him at the NCA. Even back then, he used his brain a lot more than many others his age. And that’s a key quality for a captain to not just think for yourself but for the ten other players as well, and plan how to win matches,” Kapoor said at the post-match press conference on Sunday night.
‘You have to observe a player before making any judgment’ – Kapoor on Gill
Notably, Team India will soon be preparing for the five-Test series against England. The tour away from home will begin on 20 June, the selectors are expected to name a new red-ball skipper soon. While Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul remain in contention, Gill has emerged as the frontrunner. The management believes he has the qualities to grow into a long-term leader. However, Kapoor pointed out the need to avoid comparisons or expectations.
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“I’m not an astrologer. We’re watching him lead in T20 cricket, but when Dhoni was named captain for the World Cup, he hadn’t captained anywhere. Nobody knew back then that he’d go on to become one of the world’s best captains,” said the former India spinner. If you had asked someone at that time, even Dhoni himself, what they thought of his captaincy, there would’ve been no answer. You have to observe a player over some time before making any judgment. Shubman hasn’t even started yet, so it’s very difficult to say,” he added.
Meanwhile, the youngster’s leadership in the IPL has been marked by calmness. With Bumrah’s fitness a concern and Rahul seen more as a short-term option, the Punjab batter looks set to be picked as India’s new Test skipper.
