Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke praised Indian Test captain Shubman Gill, stating that "Indian cricket is in very good hands under Shubman". Clarke made these remarks following Gill's exceptional leadership during India's one-off Test match against Afghanistan at Mullanpur. A regular captain might hide a brand-new player to protect them but Gill did not shy away and gave the debutant Manav Suthar a well deserved chance who went on to take 6 wickets for just 33 runs in the first innings, dismantling the Afghanistan batting."Any Test debut like that – it doesn't matter who you play against – is impressive. The way he bowls is fantastic. That shape out of his hand, he gets the ball to drift.” Gill did the opposite. He gave the ball to debutant Manav Suthar during crucial moments. This huge show of trust allowed the young spinner to bowl freely and hunt for wickets. Gill did not let the game drift. The moment a batter looked comfortable, he changed the bowler or the angle of attack.

He mixed up his spin options perfectly to keep the batsmen guessing. "I think tactically he’s been outstanding, the way he used spin bowling in this Test has been very impressive & the fields he’s set – quite attacking as well.Indian cricket is in very good hands under Shubman.”, Clarke remarked. Gill kept his fielders close to the bat. He wanted to catch the ball, not just stop it. This put immense mental pressure on the batsmen, making them feel like they could not breathe. He did not wait for the batsmen to make a mistake. He placed his fielders in unusual spots to force them into making a mistake. This aggressive style matches the mindset of head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Michael Clarke remarks Shubman Gill leads from front

Shubman Gill has perfectly illustrated the meaning of leading from the front by dominating with the bat while flawlessly managing his on-field strategies. Former Australian captain Michael Clarke highlighted that the finest way a young captain can earn the ultimate respect of a dressing room is by delivering massive individual performances under pressure. "I think that as a captain, that's probably the most important thing you can do is – if you're a bowler, take wickets, if you're a batsman, score runs. That's the best way to earn respect.” He set the standard for his team by crushing a flawless 126 runs off 176 balls against Afghanistan at Mullanpur.

For a young leader, your own game can easily suffer from the stress of captaining a national team. Gill has done the exact opposite by letting the captaincy elevate his batting to new heights. Since taking over the Test leadership role, he has kept an unbelievable batting average of over 82 as captain. He showed total control by comfortably dominating both pace and spin, using both front-foot and back-foot play to dismantle the opposition's bowling plans. "He's looked in a very comfortable position – front foot, back foot, defense, attack, dominates spin always.” Clarke noted that players will not fully buy into a captain's tactical vision unless that captain shows they can do the heavy lifting themselves. By stepping out onto the field and scoring heavy centuries, Gill builds a deep sense of authority and trust. When the players see their captain absorbing the pressure and succeeding, they become far more willing to follow his tactical field settings and aggressive bowling plans.