Jos Buttler, the winner of the T20 World Cup, has called India’s new Test captain, Shubman Gill, a cross between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Under his captaincy, Rohit Sharma guided India to four ICC finals, an Asia Cup victory, a T20 World Cup, and a Champions Trophy title. However, it was Virat Kohli’s fierce personality that propelled India to greater heights, particularly in the red-ball format, as India was the top Test team for most of his tenure.
Jos Buttler, who captained the Gujarat Titans in the 2025 Indian Premier League, claims that Gill is a combination of the two because he can be aggressive on the pitch like Virat Kohli and have a composed manner like Rohit. The 25-year-old batsman-wicketkeeper has reportedly picked up some valuable leadership skills from the illustrious India team, but he also has a unique personality that will help him stand out as captain.
Both as a young guy and as a player, he is just remarkable. Although he speaks with a fair amount of composure and poise, I find it interesting that he seems to have a little fight in him when he’s on the pitch; he’s fairly passionate and intense. Alongside the great bowler Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler stated on the For The Love of Cricket podcast, “I think he’ll be a mix of Kohli and Rohit.”
In your face, Kohli’s aggressive personality completely changed the Indian team’s chances of winning the tournament. Despite that kind of altercation, Rohit [was] a little more laid back and a really cool, collected, and cool customer. My impression of Shubman thus far is that he will be somewhat in the middle. Although he has clearly learnt from those two men, he will always be his own man.
The Englishman, 35, went on to talk about his time playing for GT while Gill was captain. He believes that Gill is aware of the significance of setting an example and the distinction between individual achievements when it comes to batting at the top.
“He discussed compartmentalising batting and captaining; so, when he bats, he merely wants to be a batter. He will then attempt to separate the two responsibilities by working on his captaincy. He will need to try to do that properly and have some decent people backing him when he is handling a significant job like captaining the Indian cricket team.
After the Prime Minister, the India Test captain is the most powerful individual in the country: Jos Buttler
We can’t really comprehend the degree of attention and fame these individuals enjoy, in my opinion. Although you are aware of it and witness it during the IPL, you are truly experiencing it yourself. You’re truly elevated to that level,” he added. “I believe they say the Indian Test captain is about the third or fourth most powerful person in India, behind the Prime Minister, etc.
“It will be a very big task for him. In addition to being a sort of royal, he has clearly captained the Indian Premier League for two seasons, which is a significant and demanding role. The story they tell around here is that Shubman is the prince and Kohli is the king, and I think he’s the future. Putting on those No. 4 shoes is a significant step, isn’t it? Sachin Tendulkar came before that, and Virat came after. That clearly plays a big part,” he said.
Gill’s first task as captain of India will be a very difficult one. He will be leading the Baggy Blues in a five-match Test series against England, with the first Test starting on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds. He would aim to demonstrate his abilities and make a statement about his arrival as India’s top red-ball player going forward.
India
