Armed with winning blueprint, Gill to lead India by example
NEW DELHI :India test captain Shubman Gill has inherited a blueprint for winning series abroad and will lead by example to achieve that goal, the 25-year-old said on Sunday.
Gill was thrust into the role after Rohit Sharma quit test cricket this month and Virat Kohli followed suit ahead of a five-match series in England.
"I'm looking forward for this exciting opportunity, and I think the upcoming series in England is going to be a very exciting one," the elegant top-order batter said in a video shared by the Indian Cricket Board.
"I believe in leading by example, not just by my performance but, off the field, by my discipline and hard work."
Captaining the national cricket team is often called the second most important job in India, after the prime minister's, and Gill will lead a dressing room containing players who enjoy rock-star status in the cricket-mad country.
"As a captain, a leader should be able to know when to step in but also when to give space to the players, because everyone...has a different personality," he said.
Knowing players at a deeper level and creating a conducive atmosphere were key to getting the best results out of them, Gill said.
The Punjab player said he learnt a lot from playing cricket alongside Rohit and Kohli, India's previous two test captains, as well as former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
He admired Kohli's passion and Rohit's calmness even though both were aggressive captains aiming for a common goal.
"These are the qualities that I learned from guys like Rohit, Virat and Ashwin," Gill said.
"They have given us a blueprint on how to tour away from home and win matches and series.
"It's one thing to be able to deliver and execute, but because we have that blueprint, we know how to tour away from home and win matches and series."
The onus will be on him to fill the void in the top order left by Rohit and Kohli.
"...if I'm batting out there, I want to be able to make decisions as a batsman and not as a captain," Gill said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
European game generated 38 billion euros in 2023-24 season, study shows
Europe's soccer market grew by 8 per cent in terms of revenue in the 2023-24 season to 38 billion euros ($43.46 billion) with England's Premier League generating the most, Deloitte said in a study published on Wednesday. In its Annual Review of Football Finance, Deloitte said the top five leagues - Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1 - generated 20.4 billion euros in revenue, an increase of 4 per cent. Premier League clubs had the highest revenue of Europe's top leagues at 6.3 billion pounds ($8.50 billion). However, the traditional 'big six' clubs in England's top flight reported lower average revenue growth (3 per cent) than other clubs that were in the Premier League in both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons (11 per cent). The study said the growth was largely driven by expansion of clubs' commercial offerings, which also led to the teams cumulatively generating more than two billion pounds in commercial revenue for the first time. "A focus on stadia development and diversification of commercial revenues led to growth across the European football market in the 2023-24 season," Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte's Sports Business Group, said. "However, clubs and leagues cannot afford to take their eye off the ball as new challenges, including an evolving regulatory landscape and changing fan behaviours, arise. "The pressure is mounting for more clubs to drive additional revenue at the same time as managing rising costs. "More so than ever, leaders and owners must recognise the great responsibility they have of managing these businesses, capturing the historic essence of a football club while honouring its unrivalled role as a community asset for generations to come." Clubs in Europe's 'big five' leagues reported an aggregate operating profit (0.6 billion euros) for a second successive season, while the aggregate wages/revenue ratio fell from 66 per cent to 64 per cent. WSL REVENUE SOARS Clubs in England's Women's Super League (WSL) jointly generated revenue of 65 million pounds in the 2023-24 season, a 34 per cent rise. Each WSL club had a double-digit increase in revenue, while all 12 clubs reported over one million pounds in revenue for the first time, with an average revenue of 5.4 million pounds. "Through developing more robust fan engagement strategies, strong commercial deals and securing central distributions, WSL clubs unlocked a new phase of growth," Deloitte Sports Business group's knowledge and insights lead Jennifer Haskel said. "Plus, as the reporting and attribution of commercial revenue remains inconsistent between clubs, we may be scratching the surface on the value now being generated by the women's game." ($1 = 0.7409 pounds) ($1 = 0.8743 euros)
CNA
12 hours ago
- CNA
Keys leads American charge into quarter-finals at Queen's Club
Second seed Madison Keys powered into the quarter-finals of the Queen's Club Championships with a 6-3 6-2 win over Anastasia Zakharova on Wednesday while fellow Americans Emma Navarro and Amanda Anisimova also progressed. Australian Open champion Keys had an early wobble in the opening set in her first grasscourt match of the season when she found herself 3-1 down as she tried to find her footing. But she did not panic and quickly recovered to win the next five games, sealing the set with an ace straight down the middle. Zakharova had her moments in the second set but could not contend with the power of Keys, who converted five break points and clinched victory with an unreturned serve to wrap up the contest in 68 minutes. "Always tough to play your first match on the grass, especially against someone who's already played a few matches. But overall, pretty happy and happy that I get another match here," Keys said. "The first couple of games felt like I was just trying to find my footing. Once I did, I feel like I played really well." Third seed Navarro overcame a nightmare opening set and also saved match point to beat Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia 1-6 7-6(4) 6-3. After Navarro saved a match point in the second set, Haddad Maia led 4-2 in the tiebreak but the Brazilian lost her momentum when play was paused so an audience member could receive medical treatment. Haddad Maia then began making errors and Navarro pounced, forcing a decider where the Brazilian lost serve with a double fault before Navarro clinched victory in a match that lasted nearly three hours. "It wasn't easy. I think I've spent the most time on a match court with Bea than anyone else. We play each other all the time and we always go to three sets," Navarro said. "I've only been playing on grass for about four days, it's a quick turnaround." Navarro set up a quarter-final clash with Anisimova, who needed only 64 minutes to beat Sonay Kartal 6-1 6-3, the second Briton she had beaten at the tournament after Jodie Burrage. "I'm so sorry, guys," she told the home fans. "There's been some tough matches here but I am enjoying it and glad to be through to the next round. "There are so many strong girls right now in America and I am so happy to see us doing well. I am sure the match with Emma will be a battle. She is a tough player and I am looking forward to it." Any home hopes of British success in the doubles also went up in smoke when Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter lost 6-2 7-5 to top seeds Erin Routliffe and Lyudmyla Kichenok.
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Smith confident as Australia seize control against South Africa
LONDON :Australia batsman Steve Smith hopes the variable bounce at Lord's will help them make further inroads into South Africa's fragile batting line-up on the second day of the World Test Championship final on Thursday. Australia had South Africa reeling at 43-4 at the close on Wednesday after being put in to bat first and scoring 212. Smith marked his first outing since March with 66 runs and felt Australia were in the driving seat after the opening day. Yet they were now looking to capitalise on their advantage. 'I think the bounce is going to be variable throughout the game, as we've seen already on day one, so hopefully we can get a few early wickets in the morning and sort of go through them and have a bit of a lead. That's the ideal scenario for us right now." Australia are 169 runs ahead after a day in which 14 wickets fell. 'I think we're in a good spot. We've probably had a few missed opportunities with the bat to try and get a bigger total, but I think the wicket offered something all day. 'We could have had a better day, but we're still in a nice position,' he said after stumps on Wednesday. Smith, a prolific run scorer at Lord's, was returning after a lengthy holiday in which he said he hardly picked up a bat. 'I felt good, felt in a nice place. I love batting here at Lord's and enjoyed my time while I was out there but left a few in the shed, unfortunately. 'It felt quite tricky, the wicket felt like it was doing enough all day... probably a little bit on the slower side, and then one kind of zings through.' Smith was irritated to have been dismissed by part-time spinner Aiden Markram, trying to slog him to the boundary but getting a healthy edge to slip. 'I'm still trying to fathom how I've done that,' he said.
