Gill has a very stable head on his shoulders, will handle captaincy very well, says Gurkeerat

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Shubman Gill’s stature within India’s leadership group has risen meteorically over the last 12 months. Last July, following his first full-time stint as the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Gill captained India to a 4-1 victory in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.

The unexpected elevation of Gill to the vice-captaincy for the Sri Lanka tour was followed by retaining that role for the home series against England and ultimately in the 2025 Champions Trophy triumph. Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the longer format this month, Gill emerged as the primary front-runner for the Test captaincy.

The appointment received official confirmation when chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced him as India’s 37th Test captain on Saturday. Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Gill’s mentor, friend, and former teammate from their Ranji Trophy days with Punjab, believes Gill’s appointment as India’s Test captain is a ‘very big thing’.

“When you see ahead of such a big tour, a young captain like him is appointed to the role, then it shows they have faith in Shubman and confidence in his leadership abilities. That is why they have given such a huge responsibility on the young shoulders of somebody like Shubman. The Indian team think-tank also believes that he can do that.”

“As much as I know of Shubman, he has got a very stable head on his shoulders and will handle these captaincy things very well. We are all very happy. The hard work that he has put in for so many years, the persistence with which he has worked, the setbacks he has faced, all of that is being rewarded. I really hope that he will do well for India in this new role,” said Gurkeerat in an exclusive conversation with IANS on Saturday.

While Gurkeerat knew the Test captaincy rumours were intensifying, neither he nor Gill broached the subject in their conversations. Having played alongside Gill in the Gujarat Titans IPL 2022 winning team, Gurkeerat noted how the right-handed batter seemed driven to make a statement in the ongoing season.

“He wasn’t that focused on Test captaincy talks happening, as at this point in time, his focus is on the current IPL campaign because that is also a very important tournament right now. Now, when I see him leading GT, I thought he had a point to prove in this IPL.”

“Everyone dreams of becoming the India captain, and right now he is leading Gujarat very well. Hopefully, he will do well in the rest of the tournament as well, because the results are right now in front of everyone to see,” he added.

Further questioned about their feeling about Gill having a point to prove, Gurkeerat elaborated, “As everybody knows, there is a lot of pressure when you are representing India. Especially in today’s time, when social media has become so much involved, it then puts a lot of pressure on Shubman amongst all youngsters - that everybody is looking forward to him and sees how he will take his career forward.”

“The transition that we have seen in him now (from last year to this year) has been great. Like when Shubman came to the team as a youngster, whatever his hard work or his work ethic was at that time, everyone now says that he has a very good work ethic. He has also become more disciplined in his life, and all these things collectively are giving him these good results.”

Gurkeerat first met Gill when he was a bright-eyed kid in Mohali, after having relocated from Chak Jaimal Singh Wala village in Punjab’s Fazilka district. His burning ambition was to make a career out of what he loved doing the most – batting. Alongside Gill on this path was his father, Lakhwinder, who made sure the young kid had a strong batting foundation and access to Mohali’s top-notch facilities.

Gurkeerat remembers Gill’s quiet and reserved personality, but also his unwavering passion and consistent hard work from the outset. “Every day, day in, and day out - the hard work that he has done and his uncle has put in, he is getting the reward now. When he came to the Punjab setup, immediately did well immediately because in junior cricket because he had a very good base and performed well for the India U19 team.”

“He was making big runs in junior cricket, and when he came into the senior team, instantly he started performing. All the seniors in the Punjab team felt amazing that a new boy was doing so well. He scored a hundred in just his second match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2017. Since then, he has been a set batter and whenever he is in a team, he performs well.”

Gurkeerat added that Gill’s career advancement has only intensified his dedication towards the game. “His work ethic has been the same, but hard work has not decreased. It has been increasing. Even now, if you talk to anyone from the Gujarat Titans, he is batting for two hours in the nets before every game.”

“So, his hunger and passion for the game, as well as performing for India, are just increasing. Now, with the added responsibility of Test captaincy, I am definitely sure he is more focused on the game. In his entire practice session, the main thing is, how much he feels that he can work on either this or that thing, or according to wickets, because nowadays, matches are held on different wickets.”

“So, according to that, he thinks which shots I can practice more? He then goes about it in his full-fledged net sessions, 1.5-2 hours of proper batting. Some players bat less, while some just knock it around. But Shubman always loves to bat in a long net session before any game.”

Playing in and around Mohali’s PCA Stadium as a youngster spurred Gill’s determination to play for India someday. As India’s newest Test captain, Gill, 25, will face a difficult trial by fire on the England tour starting on June 20.

As a leader who’s still developing and is far from perfect article, Gill will be learning the intricacies of Test captaincy on the job, as well as aiming to improve his underwhelming overseas batting record, and deciding if he still wishes to bat at number three.

This is a time of both challenge and exhilaration in Indian Test cricket, and Gurkeerat feels Gill’s meteoric rise in the leadership group over the past 12 months would propel him to lead the revamped Test team to great success in the future.

“We have seen that the next generation of players are stepping up after the retirement of legends. So, it’s altogether a very young team. I just hope that this generation of players carries Indian Test cricket forward. The passion Shubman has for playing Test cricket, he will take the team to bigger heights, just like the way Virat Kohli did when leading the team.”

--IANS

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