'He Has To Establish As Batter': Anil Kumble Sceptical About 'Skipper' Shubman Gill
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Anil Kumble has urged Shubman Gill to prove himself as a strong overseas batter after being named India's Test skipper against England.
Former India cricketer Anil Kumble has said that while he thought that ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah should have been the initial choice for captaincy against England, now that Shubman Gill has been named the skipper, the youngster has to ensure that he establishes himself as a potent overseas batter.
Kumble feels that Gill has a big task ahead of himself because he has yet to cement himself as a batter in India's Test side overseas.
Kumble was hoping Bumrah would succeed Rohit Sharma as India's Test skipper. The ace pacer was India's vice-captain for the Test series in Australia and even led in Perth and Sydney, the two matches where Rohit was unavailable.
'It's going to be a massive challenge. Initially, I thought Jasprit Bumrah would have been the automatic choice, but they must have a reason there. They would have probably spoken to him and maybe Jasprit is now looking at taking a break between matches," Kumble said while speaking on ESPNCricinfo.
advetisement
'Now that the selectors have taken a call on Shubman, they'll have to stick with him for a while. Because he needs that kind of leeway as well. First, he has to establish himself as a batter because even in Australia, he didn't play all the matches," Kumble added.
Gill has led Punjab in one Ranji Trophy match, losing to Karnataka earlier this year, but has led in four more first-class matches, three Duleep Trophy games and India A in 2019.
'As a captain, he has certainly shown signs. Of course, it's a very different format. He has a calm head. He's done all the right things for GT in the last couple of seasons as a captain," Kumble said.
'So as a player, it hasn't really affected him, at least in the white-ball formats. And to expect that to happen in Tests as well, there won't be any issues with his batting just because he is captain," Kumble added.
Gill's first assignment as Test skipper will be when India take on England in the first of the five-match series on June 20 in Leeds.
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May 26, 2025, 14:09 IST
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