When Shubman Gill took on the mantle as India’s Test captain before the England series, there was a lot of chatter. Some were good and said the youngster needed time to grow into the new role. While others wrote him off before even a delivery was bowled. The scrutiny was such that a small engraving of ‘Prince’ on his MRF bat was trolled, and he was labelled as arrogant.

But before the series started, the youngster said one simple thing. He was looking to be the best batter of the series, something his predecessors in Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar always tried to do. For Kohli, captaincy was never a burden, but a motivator. And it seems to be the case with Gill as well.
On Day one, we said that Gill showed why he was the right man for the No.4 spot. But on Day two, it was just all about showing why he is the leader of the new era in Indian cricket. And it was an important knock for Gill, as Michael Atherton pointed out.

“It was a completely chanceless innings and so important for a young captain, at the start of his tenure, to get runs and lead from the front,” said Atherton to Sky Sports.

But apart from not giving any chance to England bowlers, there was a lot to admire about the knock from the young captain.

A captain looking to win over the dressing room

For any skipper when he goes on the field, the biggest strength he could have is the support and backing of his teammates. If that bond doesn’t exist, then the tenure goes nowhere and ends in the inevitable sacking of the player from his role.

But for Gill, the biggest positive has been the fact that he is a well-liked person in the dressing room, one who’s trying to stamp his authority on. Sunil Gavaskar said that respect for Gill will be high now, given that he took the onus on himself to make sure he gets that big score to show the dressing room how it is done.

“And once again, leading by example, you know, the respect for the man goes up. He’s a new captain. He’s establishing himself as a captain as well, and now he’s got 100 in the first game. Yes, the defeat would have been a little bit of a jolt as well. No team gets 830 and then goes on to lose, but that’s what happened because England just batted so much better in the fourth innings. So he would want to establish his authority in the change room. By all accounts, he’s a very well-liked person in the changing room, and that’s always a big plus that you’re well-liked by your teammates, and then when you’re performing, you’re able to take those little gut calls, instinct calls, bowling changes, fielding,” said Gavaskar.

Ravindra Jadeja was asked if he could gauge the growth of Gill as a captain, and his witty remark pretty much implied that the team is out there to defend their skipper.

Minor tweaks and learning ahead of the curve

One of the things that made Kohli a major prospect, apart from his natural talent, was how he was always ready to learn before a challenging series. We saw that at the Champions Trophy when he went and started to work with Sanjay Bangar after a rough Australia tour.

Just like that, Gill did his homework for the England tour while he was in the IPL. Typical topper behaviour, one could say, but it showed how eager he was to learn. The India captain discussed it after his knock, and it was just a treat to listen to.

He talked about how his initial movement and stance were altered and how he was getting out without a big score. The 25-year-old wanted to fall in love again with his batting, and that’s what he has been doing so far.

“At the end of the IPL, I worked on my technique. I worked on my initial movement and stance. I was batting nicely but getting out after scoring 30-40 runs. So, I wanted to enjoy my batting. I was focusing too hard, so I decided to make the most of it. I started working from the IPL itself.”

“Moving from T20 to the longer format is tough. You need to work on your mindset. Playing T20s, going after the ball becomes his initial trigger. So, I started practising with the red ball in the IPL itself,” said Gill.

Well, the signs are there that Gill is set to be the next big thing in Indian cricket. Maybe it is just rising to the occasion as a captain. Maybe it’s the MRF bat, something the legends of the game had. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s just the talent he possesses to be the next superstar.

– Ends

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