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Shubman Gill doesn't want hand-holding but neither Virat Kohli nor Rohit Sharma would shy away from stepping in
Shubman Gill begins his captaincy in Perth. Having led in Tests and vice-captained T20s, he now seeks guidance from veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Like the rest of his colleagues, Shubman Gill hasn’t played a One-Day International for more than seven months. India’s last 50-over game was on March 9, in the final of the Champions Trophy against New Zealand; Gill was the vice-captain in Rohit Sharma’s team, in every sense of the term. Rohit made a fluent 76 on a dicey Dubai surface to mastermind India’s four-wicket victory that gave the skipper and his team their second ICC trophy in eight and a half months.
Not Rohit, not even Gill, would have imagined at the time that in India’s next ODI, the former would play under the latter. Gill had become the Test captain in May following Rohit’s retirement from the five-day format. The 50-over leadership role, by contrast, has come on its own steam.
It's been a whirlwind five months for Gill – Test and now the ODI captaincy, to go with the vice-captaincy of the Twenty20 International side, led by Suryakumar Yadav. He amassed five centuries in his first seven Tests at the helm but only had a bit part to play in India’s T20 Asia Cup triumph in the UAE last month. As he braces for his newest challenge, he will derive comfort from the reality that, unlike in the five-day game where he didn’t have a lot of wisdom to fall back on in England in the summer, he has Rohit, and Virat Kohli, to turn to for support, inputs, encouragement and tactical acumen, should the need arise.
Australia isn’t the easiest place to embark on a new chapter in one’s cricketing journey. Gill will kickstart his ODI captaincy regime in Perth on Sunday in the first of three games, aware that millions of eyes will be on him, not only to see how he marshals his vast resources but how he copes with the perceived demands of helming a side that includes three former captains – KL Rahul too has led the country in all three versions in a stand-in capacity.
Gill made his international debut under Rohit (Kohli was rested) in an ODI in Hamilton in January 2019; his first three years at the highest level were when Kohli was the boss, but it was under Rohit that Gill truly blossomed. It was therefore no surprise to hear him say in New Delhi the other day that the qualities he would like to imbibe from his opening partner are ‘calmness’ and ‘the kind of friendship that he has among the group’. “These are the qualities that I want to take from him,” Gill said, secure in the knowledge that Rohit will continue to be an ally and a mentor even in the changed dynamics where the young tyro who cut his teeth under the gnarled campaigner is now the unquestioned headman.
In England, when he smashed four centuries and stacked up an astonishing 754 runs in five Tests, Gill reiterated how much he relishes being the leader. He won’t necessarily be judged in his maiden ODI series by the quantum of runs he stacks up – which should be reasonably substantial, given that he enjoys the ball coming on to the bat and plays horizontal-bat shots with authority to tame the extra bounce – but how much he is his own captain and how much he will turn to Rohit and, to a lesser extent Kohli, for guidance.
Neither Rohit nor Kohli will shy away from stepping in unsolicited if they feel that’s what is needed, but for the most part, they will give Gill the freedom he needs to grow into his new position of power and responsibility. Gill will not expect to be hand-held even though he is still a very young captain internationally, but he will also know that nobody will be working at cross purposes. On Saturday in Perth, he made his admiration for his two predecessors clear when he said, “These are the players I used to idolise growing up. The hunger they had used to inspire me. It is a big honour for me to be able to lead such legends of the game. If I get in a difficult position, I wouldn't shy away from taking advice from them."
If all this presents the picture of one big happy family, that’s because it actually is the simple truth. Rohit and Kohli, one-format internationals now, must look after their own batting, given the edgy subtext that accompanies them. But they are also mature enough to be able to put personal tribulations (should they arise) aside for the larger cause. It’s a win-win for India, even though one can’t help but feel that there is too much, too soon, on Gill’s plate.
