Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s captain for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe earlier this month, and he helped the young Indian team get the better of the Sikandar Raza-led side by a margin of 4-1. In the five matches against Zimbabwe, Gill amassed a total of 170 runs to finish as the leading run scorer in the series. After an impressive outing as India captain in Zimbabwe, the 24-year-old star batter was appointed as India’s vice captain for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka.
The decision to make Gill the new vice captain has indicated that BCCI is looking at him as a future India captain. According to former India batting coach Vikram Rathour, the decision to make Gill the vice captain is the right one, and he will thrive in the role.
“Whatever I have seen of him, be it for the Gujarat Titans or in Zimbabwe, he did a good job. He has shown terrific body language, which is a must if you are leading a side. Now with the vice-captaincy, the BCCI has given him extra responsibility, and I am sure he will thrive in this role,” Rathour was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
Rathour, who served as India’s batting coach from August 2019 to June 2024, feels getting the 24-year-old in the leadership role might prove to be a masterstroke, and like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, it will bring the best out of Gill.
“I feel captaincy brought the best out of Virat and Rohit, and I feel it will do the same for Shubman. Although he is not yet the captain, being in the leadership group will bring the best out of him as well. This is something I am very sure of. When you are in that role, leading others, it gives you that extra bit of responsibility, which is good and I think is great for a young kid like Shubman, who one day might lead India in all three formats,” Rathour said.
Gill’s game awareness
Rathour, who has worked with Gill extensively in the last five years, was full of praise for Gill’s game awareness and said he understands how to bat in different situations.
“When I first saw him in the nets, my first impression was like everybody else’s. I saw exactly what a lot of people were talking about and spoke about his special talent. When the first time I saw him playing, the immediate thought that went into my mind was, ‘Whoa, this kid is extremely talented’.
“What impressed me the most was his game awareness, which is something you don’t generally see in the young cricketers who are coming through the ranks. He knew his game; he understood how he needs to bat in different situations and never shied away from challenges,” he added.
Since making his debut for India in 2019, Gill has played in 25 Tests, 44 ODIs, and 19 T20Is for India and has 1492, 2271, and 505 runs to his name, respectively.
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