'When I Played Under Virat...': Shubman Gill Reveals What He Learnt From Kohli
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Shubman Gill, India's new Test captain, aims to secure their first Test series win in England since 2007, inspired by Virat Kohli's proactive leadership.
India Test skipper Shubman Gill has said that he learned a lot from the 'proactive' leadership of Virat Kohli and would look to imbibe those values when he leads India out against England for a gruelling five-match Test series starting June 20 in Leeds, in what will be his first assignment as Test captain.
A transitional India will search for their maiden Test series win in England since 2007, and the first game is scheduled to take place at Leeds on June 20.
With Rohit Sharma announcing his retirement from Tests, the captaincy spot was wide open and with Kohli too following the former, Gill now has a big responsibility of not just leading but also handling the team.
'When I played under Virat, I think his proactiveness in Tests with the field or with the ideas or with his thinking was something that I liked and that I picked up. If he thinks that, okay, this plan is not working, he would immediately have another plan, communicate to the bowler what he wants from them," Gill said while speaking to Sky Sports.
'They just want me to be able to express myself as a leader. I mean, that's what they have told me, there are no expectations. They are not expecting me to, you know, do something that I'm not capable of," Gill said.
'But you have some kind of expectations from yourself as a leader and as a player. So those are the expectations that I have from myself," Gill added.
The star Indian batter revealed that he hid all the leadership talk even from his father, his biggest source of support in his career.
'I don't even think he (father) dreamt of me being the Indian Test captain, like even myself as well. All I remember when I was young, all my dreams were to play for India and win matches," Gill said.
'So yeah, he called me when the news broke out, I think a couple of days before. But I knew sometime before (the news flashed), but I didn't tell him because I wanted to tell him when it's official," Gill added.
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