Gill Era Loading...

The 25-year-old is not new to captaincy and given time and patient grooming, he could prove to be a deserving successor to Rohit Sharma

- Jagdish Yadav

MORE than a decade ago, a 14-year-old Shubman Gill stood in awe watching his idol Virat Kohli collect the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) ‘Cricketer of the Year’ award, while he himself received the ‘Best Junior Cricketer’ accolade for two consecutive years (2013-14 and 2014-15).

That moment, captured in a photo with Kohli, symbolised the dreams of a rising prodigy. Today, that prodigy is leading India’s Test cricket team into a new era.

The right-handed batter was announced as the 37th Test captain of the India men’s team on May 24 after the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee named the squad for the England tour. Consummate wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is going to be his deputy.

The 25-year-old will herald a new era of Indian Test cricket with a tough tour of England, consisting of five matches starting from 20 June at Headingley. Gill is going to be the country’s fifth youngest Test skipper after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (21 years, 77 days), Sachin Tendulkar (23 years, 169 days), Kapil Dev (24 years, 48 days) and Ravi Shastri (25 years, 229 days).

The Indian outfit has undergone a lot of churn after a disastrous 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, followed by the retirements of modern-day greats Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. These exits have left a noticeable void in leadership and experience, making Gill's elevation both a bold and necessary decision.

Commentator and former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes the team leader should have been bowling ace Jasprit Bumrah instead, despite the cloud over his fitness. “You pick him hoping that he plays two Test matches or three, and then the moment he's not available, you go to the next guy. It's a slightly hasty decision,” Manjrekar said in a conversation with Outlook.