Cricket: “I believe in leading by example” - Shubman Gill reacts to being appointed India's Test captain ahead of England tour
Gill looking forward to captaincy challenge against England
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both calling time on their Test careers, we are on the cusp of a new era for Indian cricket, with Shubman Gill now set to lead the team in the longest format of the game.
India have already arrived in England to commence preparations for their upcoming five-match Test series, which gets underway at Headingley on June 20, and our cricket predictions will be available throughout the tour, so be sure to check them out.
The last time the Men in Blue played a Test series was at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in December last year, where they were well below their best, losing the series 3-1 - a result that piled pressure on Sharma, who was very poor and even dropped for a match.
Indeed, captaining India is not for the faint-hearted - in fact, it is often called the second-most important job in India behind being the prime minister. However, despite the pressure, Gill seems unfazed ahead of the upcoming series. He said in an interview:
"To be able to get this opportunity is a great honour... it's a big responsibility. I'm looking forward for this exciting opportunity, and I think the upcoming series in England is going to be a very exciting one. I believe in leading by example, not just by my performance but, off the field, by my discipline and hard work.”
Gill’s appointment is not the only notable change to India’s Test squad of late, as wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant will serve as the team’s vice-captain, ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, whose workload is still being managed following injury.
Gill in great nick following impressive IPL campaign
While the 2025 Indian Premier League ultimately ended in disappointment for the Gujarat Titans after they bowed out in the Playoffs to the Mumbai Indians, Gill’s performance in the competition was superb.
Alongside Sai Sudharsan at the top of the Titans’ order, Gill and his opening partner ended the competition in first and fourth place in the Orange Cap standings, with 759 and 650 runs, respectively.
On a personal level, the new skipper will also be looking to redeem himself after a very poor showing at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he scored just 93 runs in five innings, posting scores of 20, 13, 1, 31 and 28.
Overall, though, Gill has played 32 Tests for India and has scored 1,893 runs at an average of 35.0. He has scored seven fifties and five centuries, with a strike rate of 59.9 and a high score of 128 against Australia in March 2023.
