'No expectations': How Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir reacted after Shubman Gill was named India captain for England Tests

Hindustan Times

9 hours ago

The old generation is starting to fade, and the new era is beginning to take over. Indian cricket is all about transitioning at this stage, with the BCCI setting the example by naming Shubman Gill as India's Test captain, starting with the five-Test series against England. Given Jasprit Bumrah's fragile body and Rohit Sharma's retirement, the board knew it needed to groom someone to usher Indian cricket into the next World Test Championship, finally handing over the baton to young Gill. Despite his Test record, which, if truth be told, promises a lot to be desired, Gill has been backed to become the leader of a young Team Indian, and at the same time, take his batting several notches higher.
Gill was appointed India's 37th Test captain on May 24, the day India's 18-member squad for the England tour was announced. Ever since, he has attended a press conference with head coach Gautam Gambhir and has been seen giving several pep talks, albeit short, to his new team. Gill has answered questions about how he would approach his new role ahead of the team's departure to the UK, but has, for the first time, provided a proper insight into its nuances.
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Gill revealed that while this indeed is a big post to handle, there are no expectations from the BCCI, the head coach, or the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar himself. In a positive way, though. The 25-year-old India batter doesn't boast a glorifying captaincy record by any stretch of the imagination. During the IPL 2025, Gill led Gujarat Titans to the Playoffs, but barring that, his leadership in the Ranji Trophy has mostly gone untested.
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"The expectations… I've had this conversation numerous times with Gauti bhai and Ajit bhai. They just want me to be able to express myself as a leader. That's what they've told me 'there are no expectations'. They are not expecting me to do something I am not capable of. In terms of that, I don't think that there are any expectations or pressure from them but you definitely have some kind of expectations from yourself as a leader and a player. So those are the expectations that I have from myself but not from them," Gill told former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik in a candid chat for Sky Sports.
With no Rohit, Virat Kohli or Ravichandran Ashwin, Gill knows that a huge mountain lies ahead. India are yet to win a Test series in England since 2007, but even if that trivia is to be ignored to lessen the pressure, Gill will be leading a bunch of seniors including Bumrah, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and hence, to ensure this new, exciting chapter of his career kicks off smoothly, his vision is clear.
"Apart from all the silverware and trophies aside, I would ideally like to build a culture where everyone is very secure and happy. I know it can be a very difficult environment, especially with all the competition or the number of matches that we play and different squads coming in, but if I am able to do that, that would be my goal," added Gill.
And he has a point. There are at least three, if not more, solid contenders for every spot in the Indian Playing XI, especially in the batting department. During their time, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma were able to successfully ace this practice, making communication clear with players they wanted or didn't. And hence, it may not be a bad idea for the Gill and Gambhir pair to take up the same approach to deliver long-term results.