India head coach Gautam Gambhir has revealed the first interaction he had with captain Shubman Gill after the latter was named Test skipper.
The Shubman Gill era has begun in Indian cricket. The 26-year-old is now the India captain in both Tests and ODIs. Gill was given the responsibility ahead of a daunting five-Test tour of England earlier in 2025, following the sudden retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. India head coach Gautam Gambhir has now reflected on the decision to hand the captaincy to Gill. Gambhir also revealed his candid first message to Gill, who became the youngest Indian Test skipper in the 21st century.
“I remember that entire conversation,” Gambhir revealed when asked whether he remembered his first interaction with Gill after the latter became the captain.
“I told him one thing very clearly: ‘We have thrown you into a deep sea, and there are only two paths from here. Either you will drown or you will become a world-class swimmer’,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir also hailed Gill for the way the latter handled the immense pressure of being the captain of India.
“For me, those 750 runs don’t matter. If Shubman hadn’t made those 750 runs on the England tour, he would have made them on the next tour. Because of his quality. For me, the way a 25-year-old kid, with a young team, handled himself, his captaincy, handled the team, handled the pressure, against a quality England side (is what matters). I don’t think there is a test more difficult than that in captaincy,” Gambhir explained.
Gill slammed 754 runs in the five-match Test series – the most by an Indian captain in a single Test series. Gill led by example as India drew 2-2 against England away from home.
