When watching Shubman Gill’s supremacy at the crease in England recently, champion bowler Brett Lee was struck by the similarities in his leadership manner to Australian greats Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh.
Stepping into the footsteps of giants of the game in Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Gill was far from diminished with the responsibility of leading India in a massive series.
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Instead he appeared born for the role. Be it with his blade at the crease, or with his demeanour outside the boundary, the 26-year-old led as though forged with fire.
As the heat rose in a combative series, Lee loved that Gill was firm and authoritative in defending his teammates and ensuring India was not bullied by an aggressive English side in a series that finished drawn at 2-all.
“I’ve been super impressed. And to watch him live, captaining against England recently at Lords when I was there watching, it was clear that his troops love him,” Lee told foxsports.com.au.
“His players look up to him. He’s a young captain and an inexperienced captain, but he looks like a very good captain. And you got to start somewhere.
“You can never walk into a team as an experienced captain, because you’ve never done at that level before. But he’s got the mindset and almost a hardness about him as well.
“There were a couple of moments at Lord’s where it was not argy bargy, but there were a few words said, and he stood up for his teammates. And I like that.
“Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting were two leaders who used to do that. They would say, ‘You’re not having a crack at my players, not on my watch.’ And I applaud that. I like that.
“It is not not going outside the rules and it is about knowing what you can and can’t say, but he stood up for his teammates and I think that’s super important.”
After a challenging summer in Australia, where he fractured his thumb prior to the opening Test in Perth and struggled when called on for the last three Tests, there was no certainty of his ascension to captaincy.
Jasprit Bumrah has been brilliant for years and Australian captain Pat Cummins has demonstrated it is possible to lead with distinction in Test cricket while also serving as a strike bowler.
KL Rahul, too, had his admirers. But Gill had impressed in the role in T20 cricket and when the BCCI anointed him the new skipper in May, it highlighted his long-term potential.
Squaring an away series against England, one lauded as among the best played between the two nations, was a stirring start and he has carried on against the West Indies at home with a 2-0 triumph.
He is still brief in his tenure. But the appointment might well prove a masterstroke and enable him to fulfil the promise that came to light when he was a member of Indian under-19 teams.
Gill was remarkable against England. He opened his captaincy with 147 in Leeds and followed up with innings of 269 and 161 in Birmingham. Talk about filling your boots!
He added another century in Manchester and then an unbeaten 129 against the West Indies in New Delhi earlier this month, which was his first ton at home as Test skipper.
Gill has ten Test centuries to his name from 39 matches, with five of those coming in his last 13 innings as captain as he closes on 1,000 runs for the year in the format.
Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri is far from surprised he is excelling as Indian skipper.
“He has got steel in him. He might not be as expressive as Virat Kohli, but deep down he wants to win,” he said.
Gautam Ghambir, who is no stranger to being assertive in confronting moments, said the message he passed on to Gill when he took the captaincy was simple. Either sink or swim!
“Picking a 25-year-old to captain a Test side, I told him one thing very clearly: ‘We have thrown you in a deep sea. From here, there are only two paths – you may drown or you’ll become a world-class swimmer,’” Gambhir said.
“For me, the 750 runs in England don’t matter as much as the way a 25-year-old, in his first Test series as captain, handled himself, the team, and the pressure.”
Champion Indian spinner Anil Kumble is among those who have been impressed by the manner with which Gill has taken the mantle from the greats and elevated his cricket.
“Captaining India is never easy. It’s not just about on-field decisions but also handling several responsibilities off it, and Shubman has done exceptionally well,” India Today reported Kumble as saying.
“On the field, he’s been outstanding, and as a batter, he’s shown great composure since taking over the captaincy. For a young captain, scoring runs is vital. It earns respect in the dressing room, strengthens leadership, and builds authority.
“Usually, experienced players inherit captaincy after years of establishing themselves, but for Shubman, to step up early and perform this well reflects great maturity and bodes well for India’s future.”
The next challenge for Gill, namely leading India in the three match ODI series against Australia beginning on Sunday in Perth, is intriguing.
It marks the return of his predecessors in Kohli and Sharma, who have retired from the longer format but are aiming for the 2027 World Cup, in a side he is now captain of.
Shastri said it will be an interesting challenge for the star but believes it will also benefit a captaincy that is flourishing. He noted that Gill has his own style as skipper.
“(It is) a different style of his own. He’s a lot calmer. He’s very composed, but the steel is there inside,” he told Fox Sports.
“He’s been in the side with both these players as captains, Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He has enough respect for them. There’s no question about that. But this is an opportunity to enforce himself on the team.
“It’ll be interesting. He’ll love this experience. Having both of them there to share their knowledge with him, that can only help him.”
Gill will also feature in the T20 squad that is led by Suryakumar Yadav for a five match series against the Aussies that includes a sell-out at the MCG on the eve of the Victoria Derby.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist said that India, under its new leadership, was playing a fearless and exciting brand of cricket.
“I think the inclusion of those legendary names (is interesting), but the new brigade (under) the new leadership of Shubman Gill, who has just been outstanding since he took on the captaincy across a number of versions now, (that is) really exciting,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter what lineup India puts out. They’re always competitive in whiteball cricket. It is so ingrained in society over there and in the cricketing psyche on the back of the IPL and the way that’s grown. There’s no fear, no fear at all, from these young players.”
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FIXTURE
Australia v India ODIs
Sunday 19 October: First ODI v India, Perth Stadium, Perth, 2:30pm AEDT
Thursday 23 October: Second ODI v India, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 2:30pm AEDT
Saturday 25 October: Third ODI v India, SCG, Sydney, 2:30pm AEDT
Australia v India T20s
Wednesday 29 October: First T20I v India, Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7:15pm AEDT
Friday 31 October: Second T20I v India, MCG, Melbourne, 7:15pm AEDT
Sunday 2 November: Third T20I v India, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 7:15pm AEDT
Thursday 6 November: Fourth T20I v India, Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast, 7:15pm AEDT
Saturday 8 November: Fifth T20I v India, The Gabba, Brisbane, 7:15pm AEDT
