3 Indians to lose their first match as T20I captain ft. Shubman Gill
With Rohit Sharma calling it quits on his T20I career after the 2024 World Cup triumph, Shubman Gill has been given the duties in India's T20I series against Zimbabwe.
As the likes of Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja also stepped away from the format, the team has now entered a new phase, with fresh faces in the side. Grooming the young guys will be key with the next T20 World Cup not too far away.
Leading a young side against Zimbabwe, Gill failed to start well as captain of the national side. India lost the first game of the series by 13 runs. However, this series will serve as a learning curve, not just for him, but for the entire squad.
Two other big names in Indian cricket accompany Gill in the list of Indian captains to lose their first game as T20I captain. Here's a look at all the three players.
3 Indians to lose their first match as T20I captain
#1 Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill, leading a new-look Indian team in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, did not have the brightest of starts, crashing to a humiliating defeat.
Bowling first, India did well to restrict the hosts to 115 for the loss of nine wickets. Come to the run-chase, however, they crumbled like none would have expected them to, being bundled out for just 102, falling short by 13 runs.
Gill managed to score a 29-ball 31, scoring the most runs for the side. However, it was just a disappointing batting display as India conceded the game.
#2 Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant, at the age of 24, became the second-youngest to captain the Indian T20I team. In June 2022, Pant was named captain for the series against South Africa after KL Rahul was ruled out of the series due to an injury.
The opening T20I of the five-match series saw Pant lead the national side for the very first time. Playing in Delhi, India put up an impressive total of 211 for the loss of four wickets. Pant scored a 16-ball 29 as well.
However, the visitors chased the target down in 19.1 overs with seven wickets to spare.
#3 Virat Kohli
With MS Dhoni giving up the captaincy in the shortest format, the reigns were passed on to Virat Kohli in 2017.
Established as one of the best cricketers in the world by that point in time, the pressure of captaining the national side for the first time in T20Is did not spare Kohli as well.
In the opening game of the series against England at Kanpur on January 26, 2017, India managed to put up a respectable total of 147 for the loss of seven wickets, with Virat scoring a 26-ball 29.
The visitors, however, made light work of the chase, finishing the game in just 18.1 overs with seven wickets remaining, handing Kohli a defeat on his T20I captaincy debut.