Indian Test Cricket 2.0: The Shubman Gill Era

More than a decade ago, a 14-year-old Shubman Gill stood in awe watching his idol Virat Kohli collect the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) ‘Cricketer of the Year’ award, while he himself received the ‘Best Junior Cricketer’ accolade for two consecutive years (2013–14 and 2014–15).

That moment, captured in a photo with Kohli, symbolised the dreams of a rising prodigy. Today, that prodigy is leading India’s Test Cricket team into a new era.

The right-handed batter was announced as the 37th Test captain of the India men’s team on May 24 after the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee named the squad for the England tour. Consummate wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is going to be his deputy.

The 25-year-old will herald a new era of Indian Test cricket with a tough tour of England, consisting of five matches starting from 20 June at Headingley. Gill is going to be the country’s fifth youngest Test skipper after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (21 years, 77 days), Sachin Tendulkar  (23 years, 169 days), Kapil Dev (24 years, 48 days) and Ravi Shastri (25 years, 229 days).

The Indian outfit has undergone a lot of churn after a disastrous 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, followed by the retirements of modern-day greats Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma  and Virat Kohli. These exits have left a noticeable void in leadership and experience, making Gill’s elevation both a bold and necessary decision.

Commentator and former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes the team leader should have been bowling ace Jasprit Bumrah instead, despite the cloud over his fitness. “You pick him hoping that he plays two Test matches or three, and then the moment he’s not available, you go to the next guy. It’s a slightly hasty decision,” Manjrekar said in a conversation with 해외카지노.

There’s logic to that argument. Bumrah is vastly experienced, highly respected in the dressing room and has shown great leadership on the field. He has already led India in Tests in England in 2022 and has a unique understanding of fast-bowling conditions abroad. But the selectors clearly want to move forward with a long-term choice.

Also Read | Shooting Stars

Now the obvious questions arise: is the ‘Prince’ of Indian Cricket ready for this task and can he deliver like his predecessors? Is this the right time to be handing him such a big responsibility? What will the new team dynamics be like?

The context is that India failed to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship (2023–25) for the first time since its inception in 2019. As a fresh cycle begins with the England tour, BCCI’s decision to hand over the reins to Gill is part of a broader plan to build a resilient, high-performing unit.

Gill, who hails from Fazilka in Punjab, has long been seen as a natural leader. His composure, cricketing intellect and performances across formats made him an obvious contender. Although he was not part of the squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2024, he led the team in the next T20I series in Zimbabwe in July, which India won 4-1. Though head coach Gautam Gambhir later opted for Suryakumar Yadav as the skipper, Gill stayed focused on his game.

He played a crucial role in India’s victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 held in Pakistan and Dubai. He was the third-highest scorer for India with 188 runs after Shreyas Iyer and Kohli.

Also Read | The Incredible, Shrinking Game

Will Gill Fit The Bill?

Gill is not new to captaincy. He has been leading the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Gujarat Titans for the last two years and took them to the playoffs this season. The young turk made 650 runs while opening the batting with Sai Sudharsan, who bagged the Orange Cap with 757 runs. Previously, Gill played a big role in GT’s title win in the 2022 season with 483 runs. He finished with 890 runs in the next edition and also took the Orange Cap that year.

The top-order batter has captained the Punjab and India ‘A’ teams in List A cricket and his leadership in the IPL has shown his tactical acumen and ability to guide the team on a big stage. He is also the vice-captain of the one-day international side with Rohit at the helm.

Gill is in his prime and Indian Test cricket needs a spearhead who can lead from the front and dares to take big decisions. He might fail but would be likely to bounce back harder and stronger.

The Punjab lad has shown tremendous growth in his leadership skills over the past couple of years. He has spent a reasonable amount of time with great minds of the game like Kohli and Rohit in the dressing room. With Pant as his number two, Indian Test cricket is expected to take a big leap.

On his part, the new India Test skipper is pumped up for the forthcoming England tour and has assured that the five-match series is going to be an exciting one.

“I believe in leading by example, not only through performance but also through discipline and hard work off the field. As a captain, a leader should know when to step in and when to give players space,” said Gill in a press conference after being appointed the captain. “A good leader should always understand what motivates their players to achieve the best performance and outcomes.”

Nevertheless, the ‘GG’ (Gill and Gambhir) era in Test cricket could well give heartening results. The BCCI and the selection committee have already stated that only those players who perform in domestic cricket will be considered eligible for selection in the national squad.

Karun Nair made his comeback in the India squad after eight years on the back of a dream domestic season. Abhimanyu Easwaran is another name who has made a lot of runs in the last couple of years. Southpaw Sai Sudharsan’s selection is a big positive for the Indian side.

Gill will do well to benefit from the experience of Bumrah, K. L. Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, as well as the boldness of young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh and Washington Sundar, which could help him take significant steps.

Also Read | The Tailenders: Chasing Cricket In India's Forgotten Frontier

Batting Baton Passed

For nearly 33 years, India enjoyed unparalleled stability at the number four batting position in Tests. Tendulkar, who shifted to No. 4 in 1992, amassed a staggering 13,492 runs in 177 matches at an average of 54.40, including 44 centuries. Following his retirement in 2013, Kohli seamlessly took over, scoring 7,564 runs in 160 innings at an impressive average of 50.09 with 26 hundreds to his name.

Now the onus is on Gill. He is expected to take up this batting position and also the legacy it holds in Indian cricket.

He has scored 1,893 runs in 32 international red-ball games, which includes five centuries and seven fifties. His batting average in the format is 35.06, a statistic that does not reflect his true talent. Now, with the added responsibility of captaincy, he is expected to excel in whites.

The new-look Indian team may face some challenges. But with Gill leading them and seasoned coach Gambhir by his side, they are expected to adapt successfully.

Jagdish Yadav is a sports writer and sub-editor with 해외카지노.

This article appears in 해외카지노 Magazine’s June 21, 2025 issue, Innings/Outings, which captures a turning point in Indian cricket —from retiring legends to small-town stars reshaping the game’s power map. It appeared in print as Gill Era Loading...