The Test Of Captain Gill

Leading Indian Test cricket post-Kohli and Rohit, Shubman Gill confronts tough trials, with an exhilarating path ahead to prove his mettle

- By Ravi Raj

Few cricketers have appeared as ready to lead the team as Shubman Gill. Everyone had this premonition soon after he made his debut in international cricket, and his genius on the field turned something as contentious as imagining the next Indian captain into a popular consensus. Yet, when his turn comes to lead the side, after being chosen as the successor to Rohit Sharma in Test cricket, there's a sense of panic around this appointment that had once seemed imminent. The fact that his captaincy career kicks off with a high-profile five-match Test tour of England only heightens the apprehensions. Gill does not have the privilege of familiarity that comes with the home conditions, nor the assurance that comes with 1177 Test runs being scored at an average of 42.03. When Gill goes outside India, his batting average drops to 29.50. In England, he has managed 88 runs across three matches. It's been over four years since Gill scored over 40 runs outside Asia. These numbers paint a picture of a batter whose promises are yet to be realised, and now that he is saddled with the responsibility of leading the team, his outcomes will be subjected to greater scrutiny. Besides confronting the weight of his middling returns in this format, Gill will be steering a team that is under transition, struck by the departures of three veterans: R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.