Mumbai: A black SUV zooming in through the gates of the Wankhede on Wednesday evening, and a group of BCCI employees showing extreme urgency to open the doors of the swanky vehicle, were the new signs of power and importance that Shubman Gill, all of 25 years old, has now acquired.The elegant right-hander would have no doubt preferred to handle the seam and swing of the Dukes ball rather than field questions from reporters. India’s 37th Test captain, however, did an earnest job of negotiating the queries on the eve of the team’s departure for the five-Test series in England.There is an air of pessimism surrounding the competence and ability of India’s batting lineup in the absence of retired stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. “Yes, we have lost two experienced players who have won many games for us, but this team has the right batting and bowling combination to compete well in England,” Gill said at the BCCI headquarters here on Thursday. Gill will have to make a few decisions as soon as he lands with the rest of the team in London. One of them would be around his own batting position. In his 32-match and 59-innings Test career, he has either batted as an opener or by choice opted to bat at No. 3 since India’s tour of West Indies in 2023. Many feel that he is ideally suited to take the No. 4 spot, now lying vacant after Kohli’s retirement.
Gill was non-committal. “I haven’t decided on my batting position yet. We still have some time. We still have an intra-squad match (vs India A), and we will be having a 10-day camp in London,” he said.In his short Test career, Gill has played under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah and he has been a studious observer of their captaincy styles.Gill wants to imbibe something different from all the leaders he has played under. His appointment as Test captain raised a few eyebrows considering his limited exposure to leadership across different age groups. While he had a poor stint as Gujarat Titans captain in the IPL in 2024, in 2025 he has looked more in control and more engaged.Who’s that IPL player?So, what exactly is the Gill captaincy playbook? “I believe in communication with the players and making the players feel secure. Only then can they give you their 100%,” Gill stressed.The Indian players have all been playing a surfeit of white-ball cricket and IPL matches on flat tracks leading up to the England sojourn, where conditions will be as different as paneer and pizza. In the past, Test-bound players in the middle of IPL games took time out to practise with the red ball, especially the Dukes ball. Did he as captain advocate the same to the players? Gill said it was an individual call. “It all depends on what a player wants. If someone is playing the IPL, his commitment is for his franchise first. But many times we get breaks between games and players use that time to train,” he said.
