Shubman Gill echoes Virat Kohli’s words, says winning a Test series in England ‘definitely bigger’ than lifting the IPL trophy

Newly-appointed India captain Shubman Gill echoed legendary batter Virat Kohli’s words when he said that winning a Test series in England is bigger than lifting the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy. And in the press conference on the eve of his first match as Test leader, Gill also refused to confirm India’s new No 3 after vice-captain Rishabh Pant had recently stated that the skipper would be replacing Kohli at 4 .

“Definitely the Test series in my opinion. You don’t get many opportunities as a captain to be able to come to England. Maybe two, if you’re the best of your generation. Maybe three. And IPL comes every year, you get to have a crack at it every year.

“So, in my opinion, winning a Test series in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are bigger,” Gill, who had led Gujarat Titans to the playoffs this year, said in response to a query from a British reporter comparing a series win in England to an IPL victory.

Kohli, on the other hand, had stated that Test cricket was “five levels above” winning the IPL during a chat with Matthew Hayden at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on 3 June.

The batting superstar, who had annnounced his retirement from Test cricket last month, less than a week after a similar decision by former skipper Rohit Sharma, made the statement right after finally ending an 18-year wait to lift the IPL trophy with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru , who had defeated Punjab Kings in the final.

Gill refuses to confirm India’s new No 3 

While wicketkeeper-batter Pant had confirmed Gill as India’s new No 4 – a position that had previously been occupied by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli – a question mark continues to have over the one-down slot, which also carries a rich legacy with icons such as Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara having previously batted at this position.

Gill, who had started as an opener across formats before moving to No 3 to accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal as Rohit’s opening partner, remained mum on the crucial batting position on the eve of the series opener in Leeds.

“We actually were waiting. The summer has been a little bit different to the other English summers, and it’s been a little bit dry, so I was just waiting to see the wicket one last time to see the final combinations and decide on that,” said the Punjab batter.

Gill, however, added that he was clear about moving down another slot to No 4 after Kohli’s retirement , which took the cricketing fraternity by surprise last month.

“There was, I mean after Virat Bhai retired, GG Bhai (Head coach Gautam Gambhir) and I had a discussion about it and we were both clear that he wanted me to bat at number four and I was also clear that I also wanted to bat at that number,” the 25-year-old added.

The upcoming Test series will mark the beginning of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle for the two teams, who are yet to win the title. Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord’s (London), Old Trafford (Manchester) and The Oval (London) host the remaining Tests in the five-match series.