Gill as captain stands up for players: Coetzee

SA pacer has seen Shubman's rise since his U19 days and believes the batter has all the hallmarks of a good leader

- FIROZ MIRZA @ Chennai

BEING a member of the Protea team then, South African pacer Gerald Coetzee had seen Shubman Gill leading India U19 to World Cup triumph in 2018 from close quarters. Seven years later, the bowler is in the country playing under Gill, who recently has been made India's 37th Test captain for the England tour, representing Gujarat Titans in the 2025 IPL.

Both Gill and Coetzee have grown by leaps and bounds as international cricketers since then with the former being elevated as the India skipper in the longest format. Coetzee endorsed the decision. "I'm not really involved with Indian cricket that much but I think it's a good decision," Coetzee said in a media interaction on Tuesday.

Elaborating further, the pacer said, "I mean, he's been a really good captain for us. He's really calm and he also stands up for the players. So, you know, tactically, he's good. It's all good qualities for a good captain. He's reasonably young so hopefully he keeps playing for India, he's already a world-class player. If he becomes a world-class captain, I mean, that'll only be to the benefit of Indian cricket."