Picture Credit: X/@BCCI
Shubman Gill, one of the most sought-after cricketers in the world, was given the responsibility of leading the Indian Test team on a permanent basis ahead of their highly anticipated tour of England next month. After the sudden Test retirement of Rohit Sharma, who was India’s captain for quite some time in the format, Shubman Gill has become the 37th captain of the Indian cricket team in the longest format of the game, and his first assignment will begin on June 20 with the first of five Tests in the series against England.
The 25-year-old will succeed some of the greatest captains in the Indian Test history, including names like MAK Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli. Before heading to England for his first assignment as the leader of the Test team, Shubman Gill had a sit-down interview with the BCCI website, giving his initial thoughts on the new responsibility for him.
In the short clip posted by the BCCI on their official X account, Shubman Gill’s first comments on becoming the new Indian Test captain read, “As a young kid, when anyone starts playing cricket, they want to play for India. Not just play for India, but play Test cricket for India for a very long time.. To be able to get this opportunity, it’s a great honour and it’s a big responsibility.” The task is cut out for the new skipper after the Indian cricket team lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) down under to Australia 3-1(5) this past January.
India drew their last Test series in England with 2-2 scoreline in 2021-22
While India drew their last Test series played against England in their own shores 2-2(5), the lack of experience in the current squad is striking, especially after retirements from not only Rohit Sharma, but also Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin. The pressure is currently on Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir to not only deliver results in the Test format, but also ensure a smooth transition, which is a difficult job in itself at the best of times.
Prior to playing in the five-match Test series against England next month, Shubman Gill has also made himself available for the second match of the two-match series for India A against England Lions.
