The great Sunil Gavaskar advised them to let the Punjab batsman a full season at the helm before evaluating his qualifications, even though many fans and experts were hesitant about Shubman’s selection as captain despite his lacklustre results as a batter in the longest format.
The 18-man team for the next Test series against England was revealed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday, May 24. Shubman Gill was named India’s 37th Test captain, confirming the reports. Rohit Sharma, who left the red-ball format on May 7, will be replaced by him.
“Certainly, yeah. No one is successful right away. You must provide them with adequate possibilities for success. You can determine if they are good enough once you give them four or five consecutive bouts. Similarly, it is impossible to evaluate captains only on a single series. Only when they have led India for an entire season can you assess how well they have handled the pressure,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.
Gill has played for India in 32 games since making his Test debut in 2020, averaging 35.05. However, in South Africa and England, two crucial international locations, his average terrifyingly falls below 20.
Being both captain and a batter might sometimes cause you to instinctively avoid a few dangerous shots, which can work to your advantage: Sunil Gavaskar
Shubman has a particular place in his heart for Test cricket, according to Gavaskar. Given that he is only 25 years old, the former captain of India believes the right-handed batter might skipper the Asian powerhouses for the upcoming three World Test Championship (WTC) cycles.
We’re looking to the future, therefore it’s a wise choice. You could argue that he has only played about 30 Test matches, but past Indian captains had far less games before taking over, and many of them went on to have lengthy careers. Shubman Gill’s serious devotion to the game is evident when you see him play cricket. This format is very important to him. Thus, there are all the indications that he has the potential to be among India’s most successful Test captains. There is a new cycle beginning. Giving a young player the captaincy might benefit India not just in this cycle but perhaps possibly in the two that follow,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
It will be difficult for Indian batters to perform well in English conditions, according to the former cricket player who is now a commentator. In the Test arena, he also brought up Shubman’s inability to turn beginnings into significant scores. But according to Sunil Gavaskar, Shubman’s batting could benefit from the accountability that comes with being captain.
“Those first few tests won’t be easy, captain or not. The weather won’t be great for batting because it will be cold and windy. Gill, however, is talented. He will be the first to acknowledge that, particularly when playing abroad, he hasn’t turned his starts—those in the 30s and 40s—into significant scores. He’s able to deal with that. I think he will benefit from the extra responsibility of captaincy. Being both captain and a batter can sometimes make you instinctively avoid a few dangerous shots, which can work to your advantage,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
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