Shubman Gill and Test captaincy: What he needs to succeed and the leader he could become

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently surprised everyone by naming Shubman Gill as the new captain of the Test team. He has been tasked to fill the shoes of Rohit Sharma, who may not have achieved much in the red-ball arena, but is considered second to none when it comes to leading in other formats.

Rohit had his style of captaincy, which differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Virat Kohli. While Rohit displayed a calm demeanour on the field, apart from his occasional bursts of hilarious scolding towards his players, Kohli was a different beast altogether. Kohli taught India how to be aggressive on the field and compete with full intensity.

The big question now is - which path will Shubman Gill take? Will he be the aggressive, in-your-face leader like Kohli, or a more laid-back captain like Rohit? Or will Gill carve out his niche and be something different? Gill’s first assignment will be the five-match Test series against England, starting 20 June.

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The Rohit-Kohli equation

Former England captain Jos Buttler, who has played under Shubman Gill’s captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL), said he is a mix of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, Buttler said that Gill will be very much his own man when it comes to leading the Indian team.

“Kohli (was) that sort of real aggressive (character), really transformed the Indian team, in your face, up for the contest. Rohit a bit on the other side, a bit more laid back, very cool, calm, collected customer, but with that sort of fight. I feel like, from my time knowing Shubman so far, he’ll be a bit in the middle. He’s obviously learned from those two guys … but he’ll be very much his own man,” Buttler said.

The leadership challenge

Test captaincy is a different game altogether. Leading India in England, especially as the first Test series of a new World Test Championship cycle, is no small deal. Gill is only 25 years old. He will be tested not just by conditions, but also by big personalities in the dressing room.

Even though Rohit and Kohli have retired from Test cricket, there are still names in the dressing room with big reputations. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are among them. It’s never easy to lead when you have players who have seen more and done more than you.

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This is similar to what MS Dhoni may have experienced when he was made the captain with players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, and Rahul Dravid still part of the team. Dhoni went on to become one of the greatest captains the game has ever seen.

Gill now faces the same situation. But that’s where he will have to be adaptive in his style. Gill doesn’t seem like the dominating type from what we have seen so far during his time as Gujarat Titans captain, but he will also need to be someone who doesn’t get walked over easily.

Navigating Gambhir’s influence

Then there is Gautam Gambhir, the new India head coach, who is known for his strong opinions and for being an intense and no-nonsense type of character. It is going to be a tough task for Gill to handle that kind of influence. Gill will have to either match his intensity or quietly assert himself, like Kohli did with Anil Kumble.

Gill should remember that when it comes to the field, it’s his team. He is the one who has to make decisions in the middle. He can listen to Gambhir and take in what the coach has to say, but he should ultimately do what he thinks is right for the team. There might be situations where he will have to go against Gambhir or even the selectors, but that is what will define him as captain eventually.

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A chance to create history

Gill should understand that this is not only a chance to secure his place as a long-term captain, but it’s an opportunity to create history. The last time the Indian team won a Test series in England was way back in 2007, when Gambhir was an active player and Dhoni had just become the captain in T20Is.

If Gill manages to achieve what even Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli couldn’t, he will definitely join the line to become India’s next great captain. It will be interesting to see how he carries the weight of the captaincy mantle. Everything will become clear when the Indian team takes the field in Leeds on Friday.