Shubman Gill lauds Gautam Gambhir intent
What kind of conversations were had with youngster Shubman Gill after he was given the leadership role along with the vice-captaincy of the Indian team? Hear it from him. Until a month ago, Shubman Gill was not even a part of India’s playing XI. He was one of the four reserve players who travelled with the team during the T20 World Cup.
Which was clearly a demotivation considering the spectacular success he had in 2023, he emerged as the highest run-scorer in the IPL and opened with Rohit Sharma in the ODI World Cup. He also had a brilliant Test series against England and scored over 500 runs in IPL 2024. Still, Gill had a tough time in T20Is.
Sets his sights on the 2026 T20 World Cup
However, as soon as the Indian team won the World Cup and set their sights on the 2026 T20 World Cup, fortunes changed for Gill. He was appointed India’s captain for the Zimbabwe tour and later given the vice-captaincy of the team in the white-ball set-up, taking over from Hardik Pandya in the ODIs.
Obviously, it is no secret who the BCCI and the team management are grooming as India’s next captain, and as chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said, while there are no guarantees, Gill appears to be the man to take Indian cricket into the future.
Taking Indian cricket to new heights
After assuming the new role, Gill spoke on a number of topics two days before the start of the India vs Sri Lanka T20Is, starting with the message conveyed to Hardik after he was made the vice-captain of the side. With the new coach in Gautam Gambhir, Gill has only had a few net sessions with him but understands that the goal is the same.
We are the world champions and we would like to play accordingly and hopefully with the new coaching staff, we will get more success. This is the first time I am working with him (Gambhir).
But during those two net sessions, his intent and communication has been very clear. He is very clear about which player he wants to work with at a particular time and which areas he wants to work with them on,” Gill said during a press conference on Thursday.
Gill tries to adapt
The year 2023 started off very well for Gill. He was scoring hundreds for fun and maintained his form till the start of the World Cup. However, Gill struggled with form, especially in T20Is, after missing the first few matches due to dengue. He found his rhythm back in Zimbabwe with consecutive half-centuries, but Gill realises he has a long way to go and there is a lot of scope for improvement.
Shubman Gill praised Gautam Gambhir for his ‘intent’ and ‘communication’ ahead of the Sri Lanka vs India T20 match. Gill highlighted Gambhir’s clear strategies and motivational approach, crediting these qualities for boosting team morale and performance.
The hugely successful era of Rahul Dravid-Rohit Sharma
My performance in T20Is before the World Cup this year has not been what I had expected. Hopefully, going forward, in the upcoming cycle, I think we will play 30-40 T20Is [before the next T20 World Cup] – I can improve my performance in terms of batting, and as a team we can also improve, he said.
Having been part of the highly successful Rahul Dravid-Rohit Sharma era, Gill looks forward to the Gambhir-Suryakumar Yadav tenure. Reflecting on the SKY-GG combo, Gill stressed that the two have a very similar work ethic and is expected to blend in easily with Surya and Gambhir in the leadership role.
I think everyone is on the same page. I have played under Surya bhai, and I think their (Gambhir and Suryakumar) way of communication and thinking is similar.
We have had just two net sessions together and this is the first time I am working with them. But whatever they have told me during these two sessions, their intent and communication has been absolutely clear – they know what they want from which player and what they think will work for each player, said in the press conference ahead of the Sri Lanka series.
Conclusion
India’s new vice-captain in ODIs and T20s, Shubman Gill has praised the intention and communication of new head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the T20 series against Sri Lanka. It is worth noting that India will play a three-match T20 series with Sri Lanka from Saturday, July 27 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele.
Ahead of the series, Gill shared details of his first practice session with head coach Gambhir, who recently took over the reins of the team after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended. Praising Gambhir’s game understanding and clarity of thoughts, Gill said that in just two practice sessions, their communication has become very clear and the former World Cup winner knows exactly what he wants from each player.
