He has limited leadership experience, was dropped as recently as December and has never before taken on the No 4 role he is likely to assume against England. It’s fair to say the pressure will be on Shubman Gill in his first game as India captain in Leeds this week.
The 25-year-old who grew up in the border area of Punjab close to Pakistan will also be helming a new-look India.
It is a team shorn of retired batting greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, his two immediate predecessors as captain, plus Ravichandran Ashwin, the spinning all-rounder who quit international cricket last December, and seasoned pace bowler Mohammed Shami, who is unavailable for this tour through injury.
Throw in the fact he wasn’t even first choice, with fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah admitting this week he first turned down the job because he thought he would only be fit enough to play three of the five Tests against England, and the odds look stacked against Gill.
Gill was not India’s first choice as captain (Photo: Getty)Yet one man that won’t not be underestimating him is England coach Brendon McCullum, who back in 2020 saw enough in a young Gill to make him part of the Kolkata Knight Riders leadership group during the New Zealander’s previous incarnation as an Indian Premier League coach.
Back then, McCullum was effusive in his praise of Gill, who had not yet made his Test debut, saying: “Even though he is young, I am a big believer it’s not necessarily true just playing for a long time makes you a good leader. It’s about exhibiting the behaviours of a leader. To us, Shubman is one of those guys.”
That Kolkata leadership group also included former England captain Eoin Morgan, who on Gill’s appointment last month said: “He’s a natural leader. He takes on responsibility within a group, he doesn’t mind questioning methodology within the camp, but ultimately, the collective goal is what’s most important to him.”
It’s evident Gill’s formative experiences under McCullum have shaped his outlook on leadership.
“The mindset Eoin Morgan and McCullum possess is something that’s really unique,” he said in 2020. “If you look at Brendon, the way he captained New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup was really fantastic to see. And how he goes about planning things is what I want to pick up.”
Another clue that Gill might be a chip off the Bazball block came during an interview with Sky Sports this week when asked what his goal as captain was.
“Ideally, I’d like to build a culture where everyone is very secure and happy,” he said. “I know it can be a very difficult environment, especially with all the competition, but if I was able to do that that would be my goal.”
It’s not quite the Bazball mantra of McCullum and England captain Ben Stokes that enjoyment and fun, rather than results, should be the main focus of players. But it’s pretty close.
Gill has also been heavily influenced by Kohli, admitting during that same Sky interview that his former captain’s proactive and aggressive on-field tactics and clear communication were things he will try and absorb into his own leadership style.
This all sounds promising for the series, with the prospect of two teams led by aggressive captains in Gill and Stokes going toe to toe over five Tests.
But we are yet to have much idea of what Gill’s leadership style looks like in practice given he has captained just five times in first-class cricket.
He has, though, led Gujarat Titans for the past two IPL seasons and Jos Buttler, who played under him, admitted this week: “He’s pretty calm and measured when he speaks, but on the field, I feel like he’s got a bit of fight about him; a bit of intensity, quite passionate. I think he’ll be a mix of Kohli and Rohit.
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“Kohli was that sort of real aggressive character, in your face. Rohit was a bit more laid back but with that sort of fight. Shubman’s obviously learned from those two but he’ll be very much his own man.”
The pressure of leading India is akin to that of the England football manager. So separating the unique demands of captaincy from his batting will be key.
His record overseas is not good, with Gill dropped for the Boxing Day Test during India’s 4-1 defeat in Australia last winter. His record in England – an average of 14.66 – is even worse.
Having only ever batted as an opener or at No 3 in his 32 Tests so far, his likely move to No 4 for this series – a position held by Indian icons Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli in the past – will be another challenge for Gill.
It’s why England will be keen to target him from the very start. Yet if McCullum, Morgan and Buttler are right, he might be tougher to crack than most neutral observers think.
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