- July 6, 2025
Shubman Gill is back – not just as India’s batting golden child but now as a captain. After the ridiculous 269 at Edgbaston, in the second Test against England, the buzz around his batting reached fever pitch. There was plenty of noise around this, but former Indian coach Ravi Shastri spoke the truth and kept this simple – “Don’t expect him to be a champion captain on day one.” And to be fair to him? He knows what he’s talking about. There is no such thing as a plug-and-play captain. Let’s be honest about this. Shubman Gill’s Captaincy is just beginning – and that’s ok!
A Dream Knock Doesn’t Equal a Perfect Captain
Let’s be clear here – Gill’s 269 was ridiculously good. It was not just the number of runs, but how they were made – calm, composed, and chanceless. But leadership isn’t about making runs. It is about reading the game, bowlers’ management, establishing a trap, managing pressure, and making those tough calls, of which no amount of good batting can arm even the best batters with the right dose of leadership authenticity over two matches.
Shastri’s suggestion to let Gill develop for three years of “no tickling” the bat seems strange at first, but it is sound advice. Just as the young Virat Kohli learned from MS Dhoni’s disposition of calm, Gill needs time to learn how to occupy the position. A double hundred may assist with confidence, but Gill needs time to learn stuff, gain some consistency in tougher overseas conditions, learn how to be smart with field placements, and learn to have tactical courage.
He’s Already Learning from His Mistakes
For me, the promising part is that Gill is improving—and quickly. Remember when we saw him collapse in the first Test after a decent start? That stuck with him. In Edgbaston, he came out not out 114 and didn’t flinch. He dealt with the pressure of being 0-1 down during the series and delivered a captain’s knock.
And that’s what leadership is—learning along the way. When Shastri referenced Gill’s progression in improvement from one Test to the next, it shows he’s not just scoring runs, but growing, and figuring out that the team needs him to bat long, have grit, and model the behaviours. Not every young captain understands this at an early stage. This self-awareness might be Gill’s greatest weapon.
Captaincy Isn’t About Instant Success—It’s About Long-Term Vision
Let’s be honest – India is very quick to assess captains, and if you have a poor series, the questions will flow. But this time, it feels as though Gill has been offered faith going forward forever! To me, the management had faith in Gill’s future as he has shown with his level head.
What Gill’s scenario has going for it is that he leads with his bat. With Gill’s back-to-back centuries, including 147 in Leeds and this monster 269, Gill is on top of the world. But Gill will be tested when that time comes, when he is losing, getting criticized, and experiencing a bad patch. Those are the situations that differentiate a good captain from a great captain.
In addition, Gill is making history as the first Asian captain to score a double hundred in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) conditions. What more can India ask for? What do you reckon? Is India going to allow Gill the time and confidence to grow into a longer-term Test leader? Or will the pressure cooker cook this guy too quickly? Let us know in the comments!
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