Results will ultimately prove how good he is, but for the time being, Shubman Gill seems to be well-sorted in his mindspace about the huge responsibility he has been given.

India’s newest Test captain says he knows how to deal with his players both on and off the field and understands the importance of “leading by example”.

Speaking to BCCI.tv after being chosen as the skipper for India’s Test tour of England, Gill said: “I believe in leading by example — not just by performance, but I think off the field (as well) by discipline and hard work.

“As a captain, a leader should be able to know when to step in, but also when to give space to the players, because everyone has kind of had a different life and grown up differently.”

He is willing to go the extra yard to extract the best out of his players.

“Everyone is a different personality and a good leader should always be able to know what makes his place, to be able to have the best performance or the best outcome, that is always exciting.

“To be able to have those conversations with the players, to be able to know them on a deeper level than just cricket, because then you are really able to know what can get the best out of them.”

Juggling roles

There are numerous instances of captaincy hampering a player’s individual performance. But Gill is confident he can handle both.

“One thing that I learnt was (that) if I am a batsman and batting out there, I want to be able to make decisions as a batsman and not as a captain.

“If I start thinking about other things, it just puts more pressure on me which is not required because when you are batting out there, you want to be able to take those risks, you want to be able to make decisions that you would make when you are playing just as a batsman.

“Because that gives you the freedom (and) that is one of the things that I learnt that whenever I am getting out there, I just want to be able to make decisions as a batsman and not really want to think that ‘oh I am the captain’.”

Lessons learnt

Leading a young team in England is going to be a big challenge, but the 25-year-old said that his predecessors, especially Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have given the team the “blueprint to win” away from home.

“(The) guys like Rohitbhai, Viratbhai and (Ravichandran) Ashwinbhai… they have given us a blueprint on how to tour away from home and win matches and series.

“Yes, it’s one thing to be able to deliver and execute, but because we have that blueprint, we know how to tour away from home and win matches and series.”

He also gave his take on the leadership styles of Kohli and Rohit.

“When I was a kid, I was always inspired by the great and the legends of Indian cricket and (I’ve) been very fortunate to be able to play with so many of them, be it Viratbhai or Rohitbhai,” he said.

“Both were very contrasting in terms of their style, but it was very inspiring to see both of them working towards a common goal. You want to be able to win as a captain and your styles can be different... they both were very different, but also similar in their own sense.”

“Viratbhai was always very aggressive, always wanting to lead from the front with hunger and passion... Rohitbhai was also aggressive. You might not see that in his reaction or expression, but he was also someone who was always very attacking on the field... These are the qualities that I learnt.

“I’m looking forward to this exciting opportunity.”