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On Saturday, May 24, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming England Test series, starting June 20. With it, the Indian apex board also named young Indian opener Shubman Gill the new Test captain of the side after Rohit Sharma announced retirement from the format, earlier this month.
Seeing Gill take the helm at the age of 25, becoming the fifth youngest to captain India when he takes the field in the first Test at Headingley, former India captain and legend Sunil Gavaskar has urged stakeholders, including fans to be patient, rather than judging him with his first few performances at the helm. The legendary cricketer also added that Gill would require full support from across.
Nobody is an instant success. You have to give youngsters enough opportunities to succeed: Sunil Gavaskar
Speaking with India Today after the squad announcement for the highly-anticipated five-match Test series against England, when asked of Shubman Gill taking over the reins, Sunil Gavaskar said, "Definitely, yes. Nobody is an instant success. You have to give youngsters enough opportunities to succeed. After giving them four or five matches in a row, you can then decide whether they are good enough or not. Likewise with captains - you can't judge them on one series. You have to give them a whole season leading India, and only then look at how they've coped with the responsibility.”
While the great of the game approved of the Indian squad selected for the test series, he also opined on Gill’s approach as he steps into the new role. "It's a good selection because we're looking to the future. Yes, you might argue that he has only played 30-odd Tests, but several Indian captains had even fewer matches under their belts before being handed the reins - and many went on to enjoy long tenures.”
"When you look at Shubman Gill as a cricketer, you see the seriousness with which he approaches the game. He holds this format very close to his heart. So, there is every reason to believe he could become one of India's most successful Test captains,” the 75-year-old said. Furthermore, Gavaskar backed Gill in the role as he said, “But Gill has the talent. He'll be the first to admit he hasn't converted his starts - those 30s and 40s - into big scores, especially overseas. That's something he can address. I believe that with the added responsibility of captaincy, he'll be better for it.”
"Sometimes, when you're captain and also a batter, you naturally cut out a few risky shots - which can work in your favour," he concluded. It is to be noted, while Gill will be leading the side, ahead of the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul, star wicketkeeper-batter, Rishabh Pant has been named his deputy.
India's Test squad for England series
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
