India tour of England: Ricky Ponting highlights captaincy challenge for Shubman Gill; says 'won't be easy for him'
Shubman Gill (PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI: Australian legend
Ricky Ponting
has offered a frank assessment of
Shubman Gill
's readiness for the challenges of Test captaincy, urging the young Indian skipper to consider batting at No. 4 during the upcoming five-Test series in England starting June 20.
Ponting, who coached the Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final, believes the added responsibility of leadership could affect Gill's batting, which still requires refinement for the red-ball format.
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'His white-ball form has been incredibly good,' Ponting told PTI. 'But he's got a little bit of work to do on his Test match batting. And that's never easy when you're a new captain — to have to worry about your batting to the degree that he's going to have to.
It won't be easy for him.'
Gill, who started as an opener and moved to No. 3, is expected to inherit
Virat Kohli
's vacant No. 4 slot. Ponting sees that as a strategic move that could ease the burden during Gill's early captaincy days.
Shubman Gill story: From a remote village near the border to India's Test captain
'If they go with (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan as openers, they need someone more experienced at No. 3 — maybe KL Rahul or Karun Nair. That would allow Shubman to bat at four,' Ponting explained. 'Once you grow into it, then you can move yourself back up to No.
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Despite concerns, Ponting remains confident about Gill's long-term leadership prospects.
'He just seems the sort of guy that the extra responsibility wouldn't faze too much. He's got a really level head on his shoulders. He's someone who's going to be around Indian cricket for another 10 years.'
Ponting, one of cricket's finest captains, also dissected Gill's flaws in Test cricket — notably his tendency to play with hard hands and his occasional lapses in focus.
India Test squad for England tour: Shubman Gill to lead, Rishabh Pant his deputy
'I think it's more his mental application,' said Ponting. 'There's nothing wrong technically. But sometimes, he might get ahead of himself or a little lazy during an innings. You've got to be 100% committed for every ball, for six or seven hours of the day. That's the challenge for Shubman.'
Drawing comparisons with Virender Sehwag, Ponting said, 'Some great Test players didn't have great defensive games. But if you're in control of your strokeplay, that's less of a worry. Defence is important, but mindset matters more.'
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