IINDIAN cricket is entering a challenging, but exciting, phase as the five-Test series against England kicks-off soon. Any tour to England presents a different set of examinations for sub-continent teams. India have had their share of difficult times in England but they have also been quick learners. The last few tours to England show that India have been highly competitive in trying conditions. Though they have not yet mastered the art of stamping authority overseas, India have definitely turned up as a worthy competitor. All these factors will be on the mind of young Shubman Gill as he steps into the shoes of Team India captain on June 20.

 

The 25-year-old begins a “great challenge”, as he chose to call captaincy on the eve of departure to England, soon and will be under intense glare from fans of Indian cricket. The tour presents Gill a chance to chart his own course and take the team through the transition period. It is set to be a turning point for Gill, who has international experience of 29 Tests but hardly a whiff of captaincy. His stint as skipper of Gujarat Titans has been very good. And it will be of great help in England. But the task for him will be to lead from the front as a premier batsman. Gill has shown a fine temperament as captain of GT as he looked unaffected by the extra burden while batting freely. He will have to take the same approach in England. It is easier said than done as many top batsmen had found their batting taking a hit due to the added pressure of captaincy. In the past, many have relinquished captaincy to focus totally on their batting including Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Most of them flourished after the difficult decision. These are towering examples around which Gill will have to navigate and strike a perfect balance between batting and captaincy. The young man, though, has enough seniors for help while settling in the captain’s position.

 

In Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, K L Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, the skipper has a lot of experience around to take guidance in decision making. All these have been around for a long time and played under various captains. Barring Jadeja, others have also led India in various formats. Gill can always turn to them to form a leadership group that can take the talented youngsters along during the gruelling series. In fact, communication has remained one the major factors in the selectors zeroing in on Gill as captain. He is not a sudden choice to lead India after the retirement of Rohit Sharma. For over a year and half, senior players and former India coach Rahul Dravid had been noticing the leadership potential in Gill. He was among the enthusiastic ones taking interest in planning. He was willing to help others in the team and displayed good temperament in times of batting crisis. The stint with Gujarat Titans has now made him confident and assertive. India captaincy is now the next stage of transformation for the young man.