Ravi Shastri's electric welcome for new captain Shubman Gill falls flat as Ahmedabad gives MS Dhoni louder reception
Shubman Gill resumed duty as a captain of the Gujarat Titans side in the ongoing IPL 2025, a day after BCCI ended weeks of speculation to officially name him as the new captain of the Indian Test team as the selectors revealed the squad for the upcoming tour of England. Former India coach Ravi Shastri reserved an electrifying welcome for the 25-year-old, but it fell flat as Ahmedabad focused on MS Dhoni.
"Firstly, many congratulations, Shubman. Captain of India at your age. Captain of the Gujarat Titans. How are you feeling?" asked Shastri at the toss for the IPL 2025 match between the Titans and Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium. But the thunderous reception barely caught the attention of the half-filled Ahmedabad venue during the afternoon game.
"It feels exciting to be able to have that kind of a challenge, you know, with the red ball. I think it's going to be a really exciting series for us," said Gill, who was thrilled at Shastri's stance.
Despite the home IPL captain earning a huge promotion in the Indian Team, the crowd, mostly in the CSK yellow, had their eyes on Dhoni, with the match being Chennai's final game this season. With the 43-year-old's future still uncertain, the emotional crowd cheered louder for Dhoni after he won the toss and opted to bat first.
After the toss, Gill was felicitated by members of the Ahmedabad stadium.
Gill will lead a new-look Indian team in the five-match Test series in England in the absence of senior stars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin. They all retired from Test cricket after a disappointing tour of Australia. The contest is set to kickstart India's new ICC World Test Championship cycle for 2025-27 and a new era in Indian cricket.
At 25, Gill has become one of the youngest players to hold the position in recent years. Though he lacks captaincy experience in the red-ball format, he has led India in a five-match T20I assignment in Zimbabwe in 2024. Gill has also been captaining the Gujarat Titans in the IPL since 2024.
Speaking in a video posted on the Indian cricket team's official Instagram, Gill said about getting the captaincy, "It is definitely a bit overwhelming. As a young kid, when anyone starts playing cricket, they want to play for India, and not just play for India, but play test cricket for India for a very long time. To be able to get this opportunity is a great honour. And like you said, it is a big responsibility."
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