"You should behave in a way that other players respect you" - Sunil Gavaskar's massive statement on Shubman Gill ahead of ENG vs IND Tests
Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar believes Shubman Gill has a massive task ahead from a camaraderie standpoint after being appointed India's new Test captain ahead of the England tour. Rohit Sharma's Test retirement a couple of weeks back forced India to look for a new red-ball captain.
Meanwhile, Gill has captained India only once - the T20I series in Zimbabwe last year. However, he has led Gujarat Titans (GT) admirably in the ongoing IPL 2025, with the side currently sitting atop the points table.
Talking about Gill's appointment as Test captain on Sports Tak, Gavaskar said:
"There is always pressure on the player who gets elected as India's captain as there is a big difference between being a member in the team and being the captain. Because when you are a team member, you generally just interect with players close to you, but when you become the captain you should behave in a way that the other players in the team respect you and a captain's behavior is more important than his performance."
He continued:
"It is a great team and it has been selected while keeping in mind that this is the beginning of a new World Test Championship cycle so you would want these players to play for the next two or more years. This is also a bold move because Shubman Gill doesn't have much experience as captain, but there are many other experienced players in the side like Jasprit Bumrah, Karun Nair and Rishabh Pant so it indeed is a very well-selected team."
Following Rohit's Test retirement, Virat Kohli also walked away from the long format, leaving a massive hole in India's batting lineup.
"Batting may struggle in the first 1-2 matches" - Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar feels India's bowlers may have to step up big in the initial stages of the five-Test series in England, considering the inexperience in the batting department. The series (starting June 20) marks the beginning of India's 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
"The bowling department can take India to victory as the batting may struggle in the first 1-2 matches. Once the weather in England goes from cold to warm, the batters will find their grip, however the bowlers will have to step up in the first few games of the series," said Gavaskar.
He also believes Gill should continue batting at No.3 in England, saying:
"Gill should bat at No.3 followed by Karun Nair at No.4 and Sai Sudharsan at No.5. I don't think there is any reason for Gill to drop to the fourth spot in the batting order as he already has experience as an opener and would prove to be effective while batting at the third spot if India end up losing wickets early."
The selectors announced a strong yet young 18-member squad to take on England in English conditions yesterday (May 24).