Shubman Gill was always destined for greatness. Ever since his u19 days, Gill was in the Indian cricket conscience, much like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were. And now that the duo have retired, the mantle has fallen on the 25-year-old’s shoulders. A young captain, Gill’s Test begins with the India vs England series starting Friday in Leeds.
Prince Shubman Gill set to succeed King Virat Kohli’s throne
The India vs England series will be conspicuous with the absence of Virat Kohli. Kohli has been part of every England series since his debut, marking more than a decade since India toured without their former captain. Now, Gill succeeds Kohli at his No.4 position, alongside the mantle of leadership.
It is a tough act to follow. Virat retired with 30 centuries and 9230 runs, serving the team for a decade. He took over from Sachin Tendulkar, who is the leading run-getter in the format. Between Kohli and Sachin, India’s No.4 has been settled for almost 3 decades, with a combined 81 centuries between them. The duo arguably are 1 and 2 on a list of India’s greatest batsmen.
Gill is nowhere close yet. He averages 35.05 in his short Test career, with 5 centuries. He has struggled to hold on to a regular place in the side, even recently being dropped in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gill started his career opening the batting, top-scoring in India’s famous win at the Gabba. He has since moved to No.3 to replace Cheteshwar Pujara with mixed results. Now, a bigger Test awaits.
| Mat | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | |
| Shubman Gill | 32 | 1893 | 128 | 35.05 | 59.92 | 5 | 7 |
| Virat Kohli | 31 | 2098 | 169 | 41.13 | 50.99 | 7 | 10 |
Captaincy to get the best out of Gill?
Shubman,25, has played 32 Tests before assuming captaincy. Kohli was 24 when he was handed the reins, having played 31 Tests. Before captaincy, Virat averaged 41.13, with 7 centuries. However, in the 68 Tests as captain. Kohli smashed 20 tons, averaging 54.80. India enjoyed their most successful spell in Test cricket under Kohli, with overseas wins in Australia.
Gill will hope to emulate Virat when his captaincy career begins on Friday. Shubman enjoyed a good run as Gujarat Titans’ skipper, leading them to the playoffs this year. Captaincy did not affect his batting, scoring more than 1000 runs combined in the past 2 seasons. He scored 8 fifties and a century in 27 innings, and while the rigours of Test cricket are different, Gill is no stranger to responsibility.
India’s best batter has traditionally held the No.4 spot in Test cricket. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli were gatekeepers of that for over 3 decades. Starting Friday, Gill has a chance to join those legends and make his name in history. A few test wins along the way will help of course.
