 "Shubman Gill has gone through a meteoric rise since making his debut for the Indian team in January 2019. AP")
Shubman Gill expressed excitement at the prospect of leading India for the first time in the five-match Test series against England that gets underway next month. The top-order batter was on Saturday named India’s full-time Test skipper , succeeding Rohit Sharma in the role, as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee unveiled an 18-man squad for the upcoming tour of England.
In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on social media on Sunday, a day after the squad announcement, Gill described his appointment as Test captain as a “great honour” and “big responsibility”.
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“As a young kid, when anyone starts playing cricket, they want to play for India. Not just play for India, but play Test cricket for India, but play Test cricket for India for a very long time. To be able to get this opportunity is a great honour and like you said, it’s a big responsibility,” Gill said in the clip shared by the Indian board.
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‘Going to be an exciting series’: Gill during GT-CSK toss in Ahmedabad
Gill was also asked about becoming India Test captain during toss in Gujarat Titans’ home game against Chennai Super Kings in the afternoon clash of the Sunday double-header.
“Feels exciting to have that (Test captaincy) challenge, it’s going to be an exciting series against England for us,” GT captain Gill said after CSK captain MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsGill was a strong favourite to succeed Rohit as Test skipper after the latter announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this month, with batting superstar Virat Kohli following suit less than a week later.
Senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah was widely expected to take over as full-time Test skipper after leading India to a 295-run victory over Australia in the opening Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
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However, a back injury in the final Test of the same series followed by a three-month absence has led to concerns over his workload management. With Bumrah unlikely to play all matches for India and having been advised to not play more than two Tests in a row, the selectors and team management decided against making him the full-time leader.
Gill was next in line as far as Test captaincy’s concerned, being a key member of the Test setup and having exhibited impressive leadership skills in the IPL, and his appointment as captain was something of an open secret until officially revealed by Agarkar on Saturday.