Eight years ago on a balmy March evening, Shubman Gill turned up for an interaction at the ITC Sonar in Calcutta having just returned from a successful campaign in the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand.
He had just been enrolled on the Kolkata Knight Riders roster for IPL 2018 and was struggling to shed the inhibitions that creep in when graduating to a bigger stage. Yet, he remained positive and assertive on the way forward.
“(Coach) Rahul (Dravid) Sir has already told us it’s more of a mental thing now because it’s like how well you are mentally prepared... Everyone has the skills, but how well you are mentally prepared to deliver such skills at a particular time and stage is important,” he had told The Telegraph.
Even at that young age, it was his ability to grasp the situation and work hard which stood out. He hasn’t been consistent in Test cricket, especially overseas, yet the decision to put him in the captain’s seat for England, ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, is an indication of the faith and calculated risk the selectors are willing to accept.
The fear from those close to him is that it might have come a bit soon, though none doubted his skill sets for the job. He has already shown that he is passionate in a leadership role, his exploits with Gujarat Titans in the IPL for the last two seasons bear testimony to his prowess.
It is probably nothing to underestimate that Gill will have to deal with the pressing truth that as he prepares to take wing as skipper, he will find his flanks a little bereft — two eminences of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have together retired, rolling up their combined excellence and experience.
Gill can appear to be at once stoic and innocent but deep down he is downright practical and knows his responsibilities. Communication has been a key part of his toolkit in running the affairs with the IPL franchise. He enjoys the backing of head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has been harping on a young captain.
It is not that Gill has been handed the authority to run the team on a platter. It was only after having gathered information from those who have watched him first-hand that he has been chosen as the one who can step into Rohit Sharma’s shoes.
Gill, 25, perfectly fits the demanding and high-profile role since it’s assumed that he can bring a mix of young and senior players together on the rippling hotbed of Indian cricket.
A member of the support staff who has worked closely with Gill at Gujarat Titans, highlights his ability to create a congenial team atmosphere to take the team forward. His lines of conversation with the players are always open, clearly outlining what he wants from his players while not sacrificing aggression and continuity.
He is aware that not all his conversations will go well at all times, not all messages will be clear, but by the time he walks out for the toss at Headingley, Leeds, the basic structure and gameplan to be followed will be in place.
Even so, his man management skills will be put to the test more often than not in a side that had other aspirants for the top job. Having led with acclaim in two Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Bumrah was the No. 1 choice once Rohit decided to step aside.
But Bumrah’s fitness struggles, more specifically his lower back injury, which ruled him out for three months post the tour Down Under, was largely responsible for the selectors opting for Gill.
The fast bowler’s workload has to be closely monitored and it is very unlikely that he would be playing all five Tests in England. The selectors demanded continuity and no stop-gap arrangement where Gill as vice-captain could step in if Bumrah was rested.
Gambhir, too, is believed to be not interested in a setup, like in Australia, where Bumrah led in two of the five Tests after Rohit became unavailable. Informed medical advice is not to play Bumrah in every match in a long series and the selectors didn’t want to risk such a situation.
For Gill this will be baptism by fire, the seventh Indian captain to debut in England after C.K. Nayudu (1932), Maharaja Kumar of Vizianagram (1936), Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi (1946), Dattajirao Krishnarao Gaekwad (1959), Pankaj Roy (1959) and Bumrah (2022), the last two in a stand-in capacity.
It’s an ordeal Gill could have avoided had his captaincy debut been in a non-SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) country.
India’s record in England is not encouraging to say the least. They have won only three Test series in England out of 19 since 1932, having lost 14 and drawn two.
The last time they triumphed in a series there was in 2007 under Dravid’s leadership.
The challenging conditions often leave the visitors struggling with the red Dukes ball that aids considerable lateral movement. The lack of adaptability has often left teams in a hole, given the batters’ poor shot selection and lack of technique.
Captain Gill will face the biggest test with a batting unit short of experience in the absence of Rohit and Virat Kohli. Survival in such circumstances will be crucial and Gill’s tactical acumen will be tested.
The bowling depth too will be assessed if Bumrah doesn’t feature in all Tests. Mohammed Siraj has looked jaded in Australia and unless he shows the intensity to rise to the occasion, Gill’s task will be steeper with a young pace attack in place.
There will be times when the rigours of Test cricket could leave him frustrated and searching for ideas and strategies to make things happen on the field. How he handles such situations with an almost new-look team will decide his legacy in the long run in the post Rohit-Kohli era.
But Gill must be allowed time, maybe a few failures too. It will not be easy with a team in transition in his effort to transcend to the next level.
Perhaps he could take a leaf out of Dravid’s message and “adapt to the situation”.