The signs were already there that Shubman Gill was going to be the future leader of India, once the current superstars vacated their spots. But not many anticipated that moment to arrive so soon and in this fashion.
As the wheels began to fall off India’s Test cricket late last year after damaging series defeats – at home to New Zealand and away to Australia – there were strong indications that Indian cricket was going to hit the reset button in the immediate future.
Since the veterans of the team had recently tasted major success – the 2024 T20 world title – and there was no World Test Championship final to look forward to, the team management had the opportunity to think long term.
They were helped by the fact that after the disastrous Test series defeat in Australia, where the now retired captain Rohit Sharma even dropped himself from the team owing to poor form, there was a considerable gap until the next major assignment – the five Test tour of England in June that kick-starts the new cricket cycle.
In the interim, India won the 50-overs Champions Trophy as well, giving the ageing stars of the side more cushion as they braced for some enforced changes.
What came as a surprise was Rohit and star batter Virat Kohli announcing their retirements from Test cricket within a week, just as the Indian Premier League took a pause due to a worsening conflict with Pakistan.
With just days to go for the squad announcement for a major tour of England, India were without their most experienced players and no clear favourite to lead the side moving forward.
Fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who guided India to the solitary win in their last Test series in Australia, was the obvious choice but a patchy fitness record and uncertainty over availability for all matches meant the team management could not rely on him long term.
KL Rahul could have been another option but the cricket board wanted a player who is young, a guaranteed selection and has a decent Test record. So it was down to Gill and wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant.
Pant seemed the more obvious choice as Test cricket is his best format and he has routinely played many memorable knocks in tough conditions home and away.
Gill, on the other hand, has been just about decent; he averages 35 in 32 Tests and averages less than 30 away from home. Still, the Indian management picked Gill.
Clearly, it is a call made on instinct. Gill is just 25 and has been made captain of the Test team at a sensitive time for India, just like Kohli who took over from the great MS Dhoni as red-ball skipper at the age of 26 in 2014.
Gill is not the best batter in the side – Rahul, Pant and even Yashasvi Jaiswal look more assured of their batting against the red ball. But Gill ticks some important boxes.
Firstly, he has aligned himself suitably to the demands of the team and leadership group, has shown consistent progress in his game and has been in excellent form in ODI cricket for a couple of seasons. He has also shown leadership potential to senior decision-makers and has made huge strides as a leader at IPL side Gujarat Titans.
It is his calm leadership skills at Gujarat which tilted the scales in his favour, especially when compared to the disaster that unfolded at the Lucknow franchise under Pant’s captaincy.
It might be like comparing apples and oranges, when looking at formats. But when margins are so slim, these are the factors that can prove decisive.
When Kohli took over as captain at a young age, there was greater acceptance among Indian cricket fans as he was clearly the next best leader in the group for all formats.
The same can’t be said about Gill as Rohit is still the ODI captain and Suryakumar Yadav is the leader in T20s, where Gill does not warrant selection.
But it can also work in Gill’s favour as he can focus on one format and squad. The tour of England will be a fresh start for him and Indian cricket, with very few lingering ties from the recent past.
Also, only a few very senior players remain in the squad, which means the players Gill has now could serve Indian cricket for many years.
Also, India can’t possibly fare worse than what they did in their last two series. Additionally, Gill can now bat entirely at his pace in Tests, and let others play around him. It is a style of play that has worked for him perfectly in the IPL and can do in Tests too.
Gill knows he is leading a long-term project with the Test team and there is enough talent in the squad to last the distance, with hardly any captaincy challengers around him. What more could a 25-year-old newly appointed Test captain ask for?
