Cliff Notes – Gill embraces clarity, security and comfort as he gets ready for Test captaincy
- Shubman Gill emphasised the importance of clear communication and player security as he prepares for his role as India’s new Test captain, succeeding Rohit Sharma.
- He acknowledged the pressure of leading a young team on a challenging tour of England, while expressing confidence in the mix of experience and talent within the squad.
Gill embraces clarity, security and comfort as he gets ready for Test captaincy
Shubman Gill was clear in his communication. He looked comfortable and snug sitting next to the strong-headed Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, and secure and confident, no matter what kind of questions were thrown at him. He faced the media for the first time in his role as India’s new Test captain.
The qualities Gill exhibited on the same stage where chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced him as Rohit Sharma’s successor less than two weeks ago are exactly what he wishes to carry into the dressing room for the five-Test tour of England: clarity and security.
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“There is no particular style of captaincy that I want to follow,” Gill said in Mumbai when asked about his idea of Test captaincy. “The more you play, the more experience you get. I think your personal style is more visible to the people. What I like is communication with the players, making the players feel secure, talking to them, giving them comfort around their weaknesses and strengths. There are many such things…forming a bond with the players is very important. If you are a captain of any team or a leader of any team, if your players feel very secure, only then they can give their 100%.
“I have played under some amazing and terrific leaders. Rohit bhai was very clear with his communication from what he wanted from the players. That was his great quality which I would want to inherit from him.
“So as a leader, as a captain, you definitely want to be able to lead by example, by your performance and any match that you play.”
Shubman Gill addressed his first press conference as India’s new Test captain AFP/Getty Images
Gill, at 25, has been handed the “great challenge” in his own words, of starting his captaincy journey with a “big tour” of England, especially after India suffered forgettable series losses – first at home to New Zealand and then away against Australia – that cost them a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Gill said he was “quite overwhelmed” when he learnt about the selectors’ decision to make him the captain, which would make him India’s fifth-youngest Test leader, and the youngest since Ravi Shastri, who was some days younger when he took over in early 1988, although only for one Test at home. As well-thought out and smooth Gill’s answers were on Thursday evening, the start of almost each one of them with “sir” served as a reminder of his tender age.
“There is pressure on every tour,” Gill said, playing down the magnitude of the series that will start the new WTC cycle for India and England. “It’s tough to fill the gaps left by the experienced players who won us so many matches over the years. But there’s no different pressure as such. There’s pressure in every series and all the players are used to playing and trying to win under pressure. I think the combination of batting and bowling in our team is a very good mix of experience and talent.”
Gill further explained the management had not decided on the team’s batting line-up, which would be firmed in the lead-up to the first Test starting June 20, after the preparations start in and around London. His batting position and Kohli’s successor at No. 4 remain a mystery.
“We haven’t really decided on the [batting order], we still have some time,” he said. “We will be playing an intra-squad match [from June 13 to 16] and I think we will be having a 10-day camp in London. So we still have a little bit of time and I think we can decide on the batting order once we go there.”
Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma frustrated England AFP/Getty Images
India called up the uncapped top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan, handed a berth to 33-year-old Karun Nair, who last played a Test over eight years ago, and retained Abhimanyu Easwaran in their 18-member squad. Among allrounders, they picked Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur apart from the proven name in Ravindra Jadeja, making it a mix of two spinners and two fast bowlers among them. Gambhir said the look of the final XI will depend on a few different factors.
“It’s not just the conditions of the ground that are different [from India], overheard conditions also matter,” Gambhir said. “So after considering everything, the best playing XI will be selected [depending on] who can give us a result, whether it is a spin-bowling allrounder or a seam-bowling allrounder. So it’s not just by looking at one or two things, we have options. And more importantly, Test matches are won when you take 20 wickets. Even if you score a thousand runs, there is no guarantee of winning. But if you take 20 wickets, then you are more or less in a position where you can win a Test match.”
A big factor that could also prove pivotal in India picking 20 wickets will be England’s aggressive style of play – popularly called Bazball – which they have adopted under head coach Brendon McCullum. That modus operandi is a two-edged sword that helped them race to a score like 427 for 6 in just over 80 overs against New Zealand in early December for a massive win and also led to a collapse of 143 all out barely 10 days later for the opposite result in Hamilton. Like Jasprit Bumrah told the Guardian early last year before the home Tests against England, Bazball could lead to “heaps of wickets”, Gill further said on Thursday it does give the opponents “an opportunity”.
“Yes, they play a certain way,” Gill said. “I think we saw that when they came to India as well. But I think it’s very exciting for us, it gives us an opportunity, and I think it’s a great challenge. If we are very proactive with our execution and if we are proactive with our plans, I think it would put them under pressure immensely.”
In ODIs and T20Is India still top the ICC rankings, led by captains who are 38 and 34 respectively. With the next WTC final still two years away, a lot rests on the unburdened shoulders of Gill, who will be only 27 by the time the next cycle ends.