 "Shubman Gill is the latest player to captain India in Tests, a format in which Sunil Gavaskar has led the country to nine victories. AP/PTI")
It’s been 48 hours since the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee ended the drama surrounding the role of India Test captain, awarding the job to top-order batter Shubman Gill , whose appointment as Rohit Sharma’s successor was something of an open secret.
Gill has been doing a fine job leading Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League this season, leading them by example and steering them into the playoffs on the back of a clinical run in the league stage.
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Leading the Indian team in the format that is considered the pinnacle of the sport, however, is a different challenge altogether. And the fact that he will begin his tenure with a five-Test series in England, where India have won a Test series just thrice till date, means Gill is being thrown in at the deep end, where he will have no option but to find a way to remain afloat.
‘Big difference between being a member of the team and captain’
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar for one offered Gill some crucial advice ahead of the England tour in order to help the 25-year-old settle into the job and navigate his way through challenges.
“There is always pressure on the player who gets elected as India’s captain as there is a big difference between being a member of the team and being the captain,” Gavaskar, who led India to nine Test victories, told Sports Tak.
“Because when you are a team member, you generally just interact with players close to you, but when you become the captain, you should behave in a way that the other players in the team respect you and a captain’s behaviour is more important than his performance,” ‘Sunny G’ added.
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Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who remains India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests, has been named Gill’s deputy for the format. The squad for the upcoming tour of England, however, did not include senior batter Shreyas Iyer, pacer Mohammed Shami or domestic star Sarfaraz Khan, which raised a few eyebrows.