The prince has finally been crowned king. For long now, it was clear that Shubman Gill was one for the future. He was going to slot into one of the critical batting positions in the Test line-up, at No. 3 or No. 4, and be the pillar around which much else would be built.
But, several events beyond his control had to play out for Gill to be elevated to the Test captaincy. The sharp decline of Rohit Sharma’s numbers, to the point that he dropped himself from the playing XI in Australia. The need for workload management with Jasprit Bumrah, who is far more valuable as a bowler than captain. And the indifferent form of Rishabh Pant ever since he made a comeback from a life-threatening car crash. So, here was Gill’s moment.
It will be a baptism by fire like no other. There is no place to hide in a five-Test series in England and the examination will be fierce. To Gill’s benefit, he has always had the temperament, and his time with the Gujarat Titans, watched closely by the wily Ashish Nehra, has allowed him to be as prepared for the top job in Indian cricket as he ever will be.
The decision of the selectors — who might briefly have flirted with going back to Virat Kohli before he decided to call it quits, or KL Rahul as a stop-gap — shows that they have a long-term vision in mind. This, more than anything else, should allow Gill to view this as an opportunity rather than as a challenge.
The first thing Gill needs, obviously, is runs. Without that, his place becomes increasingly untenable. The selectors have shown the vision to pick the captain from the best playing eleven, and now it is down to Gill to show that they have made the right call.
As tactician and leader, he will have to learn plenty on the job. And this is understandable given he is only 25 and has limited experience in leadership roles. But, there is no doubting the fact that he has all the attributes needed to make him the best man for the job. “Obviously you discuss every option that’s there. Over the last year or so, we have looked at Shubman at various times. Even when we played England last year. You take a lot of feedback from the dressing room as well,” explained Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors.
“We’ve seen the improvement — I know it’s T20 cricket for GT — but we take feedback from a lot of people, and we’re hopeful that he’s the guy who can... it’s obviously going to be, like it always is, a high-pressure job. But we’re hopeful we’ve picked the right guy. He’s a terrific player and our best wishes for him.” Agarkar underscored the fact that the decision was not made with only the England tour in mind, which will give Gill the comfort that he is not going to be judged purely on initial results when the Indian team is in the middle of its biggest transition phase in recent memory. “You don’t pick captains for one or two tours,” Agarkar said when asked if the appointment was made keeping in mind the next cycle of the World Test Championship.
“We want to invest in something that’s going to help us going forward. You’re always hoping that it’s the right call. We’ve seen some progress over the last year or two with him. There’s no doubt that it is going to be as tough as it gets, in a five-match series in England. Maybe he will have to learn on the job a little bit. But we’re very confident with what he has to offer and that’s the reason we have picked him.”
The selection committee, backed by the BCCI, has made what they believe to be the most prudent investment. What remains is for Gill to work with Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, and the team he has been given, to take Indian cricket forward.
SQUAD: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
But, several events beyond his control had to play out for Gill to be elevated to the Test captaincy. The sharp decline of Rohit Sharma’s numbers, to the point that he dropped himself from the playing XI in Australia. The need for workload management with Jasprit Bumrah, who is far more valuable as a bowler than captain. And the indifferent form of Rishabh Pant ever since he made a comeback from a life-threatening car crash. So, here was Gill’s moment.
It will be a baptism by fire like no other. There is no place to hide in a five-Test series in England and the examination will be fierce. To Gill’s benefit, he has always had the temperament, and his time with the Gujarat Titans, watched closely by the wily Ashish Nehra, has allowed him to be as prepared for the top job in Indian cricket as he ever will be.
The decision of the selectors — who might briefly have flirted with going back to Virat Kohli before he decided to call it quits, or KL Rahul as a stop-gap — shows that they have a long-term vision in mind. This, more than anything else, should allow Gill to view this as an opportunity rather than as a challenge.
The first thing Gill needs, obviously, is runs. Without that, his place becomes increasingly untenable. The selectors have shown the vision to pick the captain from the best playing eleven, and now it is down to Gill to show that they have made the right call.
As tactician and leader, he will have to learn plenty on the job. And this is understandable given he is only 25 and has limited experience in leadership roles. But, there is no doubting the fact that he has all the attributes needed to make him the best man for the job. “Obviously you discuss every option that’s there. Over the last year or so, we have looked at Shubman at various times. Even when we played England last year. You take a lot of feedback from the dressing room as well,” explained Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors.
“We’ve seen the improvement — I know it’s T20 cricket for GT — but we take feedback from a lot of people, and we’re hopeful that he’s the guy who can... it’s obviously going to be, like it always is, a high-pressure job. But we’re hopeful we’ve picked the right guy. He’s a terrific player and our best wishes for him.” Agarkar underscored the fact that the decision was not made with only the England tour in mind, which will give Gill the comfort that he is not going to be judged purely on initial results when the Indian team is in the middle of its biggest transition phase in recent memory. “You don’t pick captains for one or two tours,” Agarkar said when asked if the appointment was made keeping in mind the next cycle of the World Test Championship.
“We want to invest in something that’s going to help us going forward. You’re always hoping that it’s the right call. We’ve seen some progress over the last year or two with him. There’s no doubt that it is going to be as tough as it gets, in a five-match series in England. Maybe he will have to learn on the job a little bit. But we’re very confident with what he has to offer and that’s the reason we have picked him.”
The selection committee, backed by the BCCI, has made what they believe to be the most prudent investment. What remains is for Gill to work with Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, and the team he has been given, to take Indian cricket forward.
SQUAD: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
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