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Captaining India in all three formats is no rocket science and one should give Shubman Gill some time to prove himself, felt former India captain Sourav Ganguly. The 26-year-old, succeeded Rohit Sharma in Tests in England after the latter announced his retirement from the longest format before the England tour.
Shubman Gill took over in ODIs too in Australia, before a neck injury sidelined him from Test and ODI series against South Africa. The Indian T20I side is currently being led by Suryakumar Yadav. In his three months of captaincy, Shubman won four out of eight Tests and manages just a solo win in ODIs in three games, all against Australia.
Defending Shubman, Ganguly pointed out people have already given the young man a character certificate in just three months and urged everyone to give some time to the right-hander. He reminded that it was same Shubman who impressed everyone both with his bat and leadership in England, leading a side without the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
“Absolutely, you have to. The other day I was sitting at Eden Gardens and someone came up to me and asked, Do you think Shubman Gill should be T20 captain?’ I told him, He should be captain of everything, he’s that good,” Ganguly told renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle in a podcast for Bandhan Bank.
“And I asked him, three months ago, that same fellow was in England saying Gill looked good, batting well, captaining well, leading a young team with no Kohli and no Rohit. And now, in just three months, you’re questioning him again? That’s the mindset of people. It happens even with those who make decisions every day,” added the former BCCI chief.
Ganguly pointed out that its not rocket science to lead a team in all three formats, and Shubman should be given some time to become better. “As I said, you have to be patient. And as you rightly pointed out, you have to allow someone the time to become better. It’s not rocket science,” he said.
Shubman Gill’s record as Indian captain
Shubman‘s first tryst with India’s captaincy came when the Men in Blue toured Zimbabwe in 2024. He started with a loss in the first game but won four games on the bounce. In Tests, India won four game, lost three and drew one under Shubman’s leadership. Shubman led India in just three ODIs, winning just one and losing two.
What’s next for Shubman Gill?
Currently under rehabilitation following his neck injury in the first Test against South Africa, Shubman has been named in the T20I squad for the five-match series against the Proteas. But his availability is subject to fitness certificate given by the mediacal team at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
