‘He Will Learn From This Exposure’- Former India Head Coach Backs Shubman Gill To Do Well As New Test Skipper As England Tests Set To Begin

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that India’s new Test skipper Shubman Gill should gear up for a difficult time in England, but hoped that it will be a learning experience for the Punjab batter to lead the national side. Following the retirements of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill was announced as India’s new Test captain.

‘Shubman Gill has been asked to do a tough job’: Ravi Shastri

The five-match Test series against England that starts from Friday will be Shubman Gill’s first assignment as India Test captain. “I think, take your time. It’s not going to be easy. He’s (Gill) been asked to do a tough job, that is to captain India on a tour of England,” Ravi Shastri said on the latest episode of the ICC Review podcast.

Ravi Shastri noted Shubman Gill’s experience of having led Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL in the last couple of seasons. Gujarat Titans had reached the IPL playoffs in the recently-concluded season but lost to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Eliminator.

“It’s never easy, but I think he will learn from this exposure. What I saw of him in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans, he seemed very composed and calm. He’s got a good temperament. He’s matured as an individual, he’s got some young players around with him, and I think it’s a learning curve as far as Shubman Gill goes,” explained the 63-year-old.

Shubman Gill set to lead new-look India squad

Since making his Test debut in 2020, Shubman Gill has played 32 Tests and scored 1893 runs at an average of 35.05. This includes seven fifties and five centuries.

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The 25-year-old will lead a relatively new-look Indian squad that consists of Sai Sudharsan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy among others. The Indian Test team has been undergoing a transition phase ever since the retirement of all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin in December 2024.

India will be looking to end an 18-year wait to clinch a Test series victory in England, having last won in 2007 under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid. The first Test will take place from Friday (June 20) at Headingley in Leeds.

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