Young Shubman Gill's Photo Goes Viral As India's New Captain Braves Ultimate Test
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Shubman Gill's photo from his younger days went viral on 'X' as wishes poured in to back the captain of Team India touring England for a five-match Test series starting Friday.
Every child holding a bat or a ball dreams of playing for India someday. For some, cricket is a sport to catch up with their friends from the colony, and for others, it becomes a lifelong passion. When Shubman Gill was announced as the Test captain to lead India after Rohit Sharma's departure, one of the first reactions on social media was skepticism. It was a difficult test, after all. Being appointed as the captain of the red ball format ahead of a difficult England tour that includes as many as five Tests, is no walk in the park—Gill, 25, is the fifth youngest captain in India's Test history.
Leading up to the Headingley Test between England and India, starting on Friday, June 20, most skepticism among some cricket fans has largely dissipated. They now believe that Gill will prove his mettle and lead India forward.
'From the soils of Punjab to the summit of Indian cricket — Shubman Gill, the son of Punjab Cricket Association, now leads the nation as Test Captain. The journey was never luck — it was destiny. You are the chosen one. And tomorrow, a new legacy begins. All of Punjab stands behind you. Now show the world why you wear that crown," a fan wrote while sharing a photo of Gill from his younger days.
From the soils of Punjab to the summit of Indian cricket — Shubman Gill, the son of Punjab Cricket Association, now leads the nation as Test Captain.The journey was never luck — it was destiny.You are the chosen one. And tomorrow, a new legacy begins.All of Punjab stands… pic.twitter.com/ZQJLPUTAUG — Punjab Cricket Association (@pcacricket) June 19, 2025
When quizzed about what was more magnificent to him — winning a five-Test series in England or IPL — Gill had a simple response.
'Definitely the Test series in my opinion. You know, you don't get many opportunities as a captain to be able to come to England. Maybe two, if you are the best of your generation, maybe three," Gill said in a press conference.
'IPL comes every year and you get to go have a crack at it every year. So in my opinion, winning a Test series in England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa are bigger, (sic)" he added.
Gary Kirsten
Former India coach Gary Kirsten, who mentored the Indian Premier League franchise Gujarat Titans led by Gill, has backed the young captain for his new role.
'I think Shubman is going to be a great leader. He's a smart cricketer, he's got a good brain for the game and understands his game. He's very talented and a nice human being, which I think is important," Kirsten said while speaking on JioHotstar.
'The one thing I like about Shubman is that he walks the talk. He's very organised, very diligent with his training and preparation and that sets a great example for other players," Kirsten said.
Kirsten added that when a leader is chosen, they are bound to go through a cycle of pressure and scrutiny.
Sachin Tendulkar
When Sachin Tendulkar was asked about Gill's appointment as the leader of the Test team, the cricket great asserted that he had faith in the youngster and that he was a good student of the game.
'Shubman is a talented player and very, very eager to go out and compete hard and bring laurels to the nation. I have faith in him. Whatever I have seen, I have interacted a bit with him. He is a good student of the game, and whatever I have seen him in IPL T20 leading Gujarat (Titans), he has been impressive," Tendulkar told former England cricketer Michael Atherton during an interview with Sky Sports.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul, aged 33, was reportedly not considered for India's Test captaincy due to his age, but he is more than happy to support Gill and provide guidance whenever needed.
'I reached out to Shubman the minute the team was announced, and when he was announced (as) the captain," ," Rahul told Sony Sports Network. '(I told him) You will always find me around, any help, any guidance, if you need someone to share something with or talk to, I'm always there.
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June 20, 2025, 10:10 IST
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ENG vs IND, 1st Test Day 1: Ball-by-ball updates from Headingley
16:20 IST:11.3: Chris Woakes to KL Rahul, No run. 16:19 IST:11.2: Chris Woakes to KL Rahul, No run. 16:19 IST:11.1: Chris Woakes to KL Rahul, FOUR! Lovely Shot! 16:19 IST:KL Rahul has scored the most runs among Indian openers since 2015 in Tests. Before this match, it read 2803 runs at an average of 35, which includes 14 half centuries and 7 tons. Change of ends for Chris Woakes. 5-1-14-0 so far. 16:17 IST:10.6: Josh Tongue to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Bowls it well short now and wide as well, Jaiswal backs away and cuts it straight to the backward point fielder. 16:17 IST:10.5: Josh Tongue to Yashasvi Jaiswal, FOUR! That one, on the other hand, was asking to be hit! A juicy half volley on off, Yashasvi Jaiswal shows the full face of the bat and drills it back past KL Rahul at the other end and the ball rolls away to the fence. 16:16 IST:10.4: Josh Tongue to Yashasvi Jaiswal, And again, Yashasvi Jaiswal getting a bit restless! Not all that short and angled across off, Jaiswal starts to fall back as he looks to thrash the ball away square on the off side and misses. 16:16 IST:10.3: Josh Tongue to KL Rahul, Good length delivery sliding on the pads, KL Rahul looks to work it behind square, but misses. The ball hits him near the thigh pad region and starts trickling towards deep fine leg. The batters sneak in a leg bye. 16:15 IST:10.2: Josh Tongue to KL Rahul, Angled in on off, on a good length, KL Rahul defends it to point. 16:14 IST:10.1: Josh Tongue to KL Rahul, Full toss on off, KL Rahul drives it back to the bowler. 16:14 IST:In their first game as an opening pair, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal stitched up 201 runs as an opening partnership against Australia. The first bowling change of the morning and the Test. Josh Tongue into the attack. 16:13 IST:9.6: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ouch! That must have stung Yashasvi Jaiswal! Brydon Carse bangs this one over leg stump, Jaiswal gets a bit side on and the ball just rushes him, leaving him no room to escape. Jaiswal gets a blow just under the arm guard and on the hip bone, it seems. 16:12 IST:9.5: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pitched-up delivery around middle and at 142 kph, Jaiswal just covers the line and blocks it down the pitch. 16:11 IST:9.4: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Full and on the fourth stump line, sliding straight on. Left alone by YJ and this one zips through to the keeper. 16:11 IST:9.3: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ahh... impatience? Or just the modern day cricketer, trying to attack? The second point is not that bad, just that the ball was not too bad either. Yes, it was short of a length, outside off, but not all that wide. Yashasvi Jaiswal went hard on the cut but missed. Carse heard something but no one gave him support. Ben Stokes is off the field for now. Nothing on UltraEdge. Ollie Pope would be in charge for now but his DRS record isn't too promising. 16:10 IST:9.2: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, And now, a bit too straight. Rahul tucks it off his hips through square leg for a single. 16:09 IST:9.1: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Too wide again. Landed on a length, but pretty far outside off. Moves away but KL Rahul is in no mood to flirt with that. 16:08 IST:8.6: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pitched up around off, angling much further away, easy leave this time for Jaiswal. 16:08 IST:8.5: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Just full of a good length and on off, not much swing there, Jaiswal plays it late and nudges it down towards the slip cordon. 16:07 IST:8.4: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, YJ tries to step down the pitch but Woakes sees him coming and spears this one in. Jaiswal pushes it towards mid on. 16:07 IST:8.3: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Much better. Woakes gets the ball to land around off and makes Jaiswal play at it. Then, the ball moves away off the deck, after drawing him forward, to beat the outside edge. 16:06 IST:8.2: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, This one swings a mile. Pitched well outside off, on a fuller length, Yashasvi Jaiswal lets it pass. 16:05 IST:8.1: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Outside off, left alone. 16:08 IST:A draw in Galle? Well, usually in Galle, Sri Lanka, Test matches don't end in a draw. They give one result or the other. But the way this opening Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh seems to be going, we might end up seeing 15 sessions, only to result in a handshake. Bangladesh's 495 was met by Sri Lanka's 485 and with the score reading 112/2 for Bangladesh with around 90 minutes to go for Stumps on Day 4, seems like a draw is the lilkeliest result. 16:04 IST:7.6: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Well bowled and well left! Good length, in the channel, angling in and then straightening down the line. Rahul plays well inside the line. 16:04 IST:Stokes has just given a signal to Josh Tongue, to get loose. Might see him from Woakes' end in an over or two. 16:04 IST:7.5: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Goes fuller now and tries to entice the batter into a cover drive. KL watches it all the way and makes a leave. 16:03 IST:7.4: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Well negotiated! Hard length, targeting the top of off stump, just nibbles away. Rahul presses back and keeps it out to gully. 16:02 IST:7.3: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, On a length, but wide outside off. The ball pitches and then moves away but is too wide to be played at. 16:01 IST:7.2: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Full and straight, Rahul watches the ball closely and plays it late. Blocks it right under his eyes towards mid off. 16:01 IST:7.1: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Excellent ball. On a length, around off, KL Rahul looks to defend but the ball pitches and then seams away, past the outside edge. 16:01 IST:The on-air commentators are still not sure about the toss decision. Michael Atherton informs us that on Thursday, there was much more grass on this pitch and a lot of it seems to have disappeared in a day. Additionally, with the sun beating down and the ball not swinging much, this is looking to be a good pitch to bat upon and also, could end up being a good toss to lose. 16:00 IST:6.6: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Half an appeal for LBW but it's probably doing too much! Perfect length from Woakes, lands it on middle and leg and gets it to swing back in sharply. Jaiswal once again plays all around a straighter one and the ball thuds into the pads. 15:59 IST:6.5: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prodigious swing this time! Nagging length on middle, this one nips away square and Jaiswal does well to curtail his inhibitions and not attempt the cover drive. Leaves it alone. 15:58 IST:6.4: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pitched up on middle, Jaiswal stands a bit outside of his crease and solidly blocks it off. 15:58 IST:6.3: Chris Woakes to KL Rahul, On a length but down the leg side, Rahul taps it in front of mid on and takes a quick single. 15:58 IST:6.2: Chris Woakes to KL Rahul, Good effort by Ollie Pope. Full, outside off, KL Rahul looks to work it through the leg side but the ball swings away and takes the inner half of the bat. Scoots through mid-wicket and Pope gives it a chase from mid on. Gets to the ball near the fence and pulls it back in, just inside the ropes. The third umpire wants to check whether Pope has touched the rope or not, while pushing the ball back and the replay confirms that the fielding is fine. Two runs taken. 15:57 IST:6.1: Chris Woakes to KL Rahul, Full, outside off, left alone. 15:57 IST:Housefull. No, not the movie but the crowd at Headingley. Sold out for the first three days, informs Michael Atherton on air. He admits that it is by no means, at full capacity right now, but is confident that as the day wears on, the people will start to arrive. 15:57 IST:5.6: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Good delivery! Carse goes fuller and bowls it on leg, getting the ball to swing back in sharply, Jaiswal plays all around it and gets hit high on the thigh pads. 15:55 IST:5.5: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Good length, close to the off stump line, going straight on and left alone by Jaiswal. 15:54 IST:5.4: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, FOUR! Played with soft hands! Dragged length over middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal gets a bit squared up, but tries to defend with a straight bat. The ball takes the outside edge and goes down wide of the slip cordon and rolls away into the fence. 15:53 IST:5.3: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, The length is held back this time, angling away, outside off, Jaiswal lets it pass. 15:53 IST:5.2: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, FOUR! Streaky? Well, yes. Carse throws it full and wide outside off and Jaiswal takes the bait. Goes hard on the drive and gets an outside edge which sneaks past gully to the deep third fence. That's the modern cricketer for you. Will let let go of width. 15:52 IST:5.1: Brydon Carse to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Full, around off, watchfully defended. 15:53 IST:Uh oh... just 5 overs into the match and we already have a warning. A friendly warning, as might be it. Umpire Chris Gaffaney is not happy with the landing area of Woakes and brings it to his attention. Woakes tries to be cheeky and walk past Gaffaney but the umpire calls his name out loudly and grabs his attention. Shows the areas where his followthrough his ending up and asks him to stay away from the danger area. 15:51 IST:4.6: Chris Woakes to KL Rahul, Full, outside off, a touch wide, let through. 15:51 IST:4.5: Chris Woakes to KL Rahul, On a good length, around off, finally some movement for Woakes, KL Rahul stays back and defends it to the off side. 15:50 IST:4.4: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pitched up, around off, as Woakes searches for swing, but does not get much. YJ leans into the shot and eases this through the covers for a single. 15:49 IST:4.3: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Outside off again, angling away, Yashasvi lets it pass. 15:49 IST:4.2: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, A touch short in length, around middle and leg, at the rib cage, Jaiswal tucks it towards the short leg area. 15:48 IST:4.1: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, On a length, outside off, moving away, Yashasvi Jaiswal watches it pass. 15:47 IST:3.6: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Full and wide outside off, let through. 15:46 IST:3.5: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Full and just outside off, KL defends it towards mid-wicket. 15:46 IST:3.4: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, A bit too straight, Rahul looks to flick it away but misses and is hit on the pads. 15:45 IST:3.3: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, A touch wider outside off, let through once again. 15:44 IST:3.2: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, On a length, outside off, left alone this time. 15:44 IST:3.1: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, EDGED, FOUR! Oooh... Stokes will be smiling at that. A mistake induced from Rahul. On a length, outside off, just a touch wide, KL Rahul goes for it, without moving his feet, aiming to punch it through the off side but gets a thick outside edge. Luckily for him, it goes to the right of gully and escapes to the deep third fence. 15:43 IST:2.6: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, On a length, outside off, tempting Yashasvi to drive, he lets it be. 15:42 IST:2.5: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, FOUR! FANTASTIC! Really easy on the eye. On a length, outside off, Jaiswal comes forward and with high extension of his elbows, gets to the pitch of the ball. Shows the full face of the bat and drives it through mid off for his first proper conventional boundary. 15:42 IST:2.4: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Confident stroke. Full, outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal leans and drives it between cover and cover-point. The fielder gets to it near the ropes and keeps the batters to a couple. 15:41 IST:2.3: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, On middle and off, watchfully defended. 15:40 IST:2.2: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, That is interesting. This is just the 14th ball of the Test match and already, Yashasvi Jaiswal is walking down the track, to counter the swing. Woakes drags the length back though, nipping it back in. Jaiswal misses his tuck and is hit on the pads. Too high. 15:40 IST:2.1: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Full, outside off, moving away, left alone. 15:39 IST:1.6: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Good swing, but again wide outside off. Easy leave. Much better over from Carse, as compared to Woakes. 15:38 IST:1.5: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, On a good length, wide outside off, KL Rahul stays back and shoulders arms. 15:38 IST:1.4: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, More swing. Full, outside off, swinging away nicely, but too wide to be played at. KLR lets it go with a lunge. 15:37 IST:1.3: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, On middle and leg, KL nudges it towards square leg. 15:36 IST:1.2: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, On a good length, this one nips away off the seam, from middle, Rahul pushes it to the off side. 15:36 IST:1.1: Brydon Carse to KL Rahul, Oh wow. Very first ball from this end and Brydon Carse gets a lot of swing. Starts the ball on middle stump and then swings it nicely towards off stump, fuller in length. A watchful KL Rahul defends. 15:35 IST:0.6: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, FOUR! First boundary of the match, but England won't mind that. Full, around off, hint of inswing, Yashasvi Jaiswal comes forward to defend but the ball nips in a touch and takes the outside edge. However, he does not go with hard hands and hence, the edge goes straight to ground. Goes through the slip cordon and races to the deep third fence. 15:34 IST:0.5: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Add one more to the left-alones category, outside off. 15:33 IST:0.4: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, A touch fuller, outside off, but pretty wide, left alone again. 15:43 IST:0.3: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Action replay of the previous delivery. 15:43 IST:0.2: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, On a length, outside off, angling away, Jasiwal shoulders arms. 15:31 IST:0.1: Chris Woakes to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Not much swing to start on this sunny day. Full and straight, Yashasvi Jaiswal drives it towards mid off. 15:32 IST:The national anthems have been sung and the players march out to the middle again for the highly anticipated Test series and match to begin. Some ex cricketers from England have already named this as a 'warmup' for the 'more important' Ashes later this year, Down Under, earning a lot of criticism from the world. India, on the other hand, will be keen to showcase their talent to the world. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul will open for the visiting side and Chris Woakes will start off proceedings to Jaiswal. Here we go. 15:27 IST:The players make their way out to the middle for their respective national anthems. Before the anthems, a minute's silence will be observed as a mark of respect to the victims of the Ahmedabad tragedy on 12th June, 2025. Everyone stands in respect. The players are also wearing black-arm bands on their jerseys. Time for the anthems then. The Indian national anthem will be sung first, given that India are the visiting side. 15:48 IST:PITCH REPORT - Deep Dasgupta is inspecting the pitch. He reckons that this is a seamer-friendly venue. Adds that there is a good layer of green grass covering, but feels it to be a little cold. Dasgupta mentions that the forecast suggests that the weather is going to be sunny and hot. He mentions that historically in the last 6 games, bowling first teams have won. 15:08 IST:Shubman Gill, India's captain, says they would have bowled first as well as there might be some help initially in the first session. However, he feels that after the first session, it should be a good wicket to bat on with the sun out. On asked about preparation, he says the preparation has been amazing, they have played a few practice games and the squad is in good mental space. He mentions that they are playing 3 fast bowlers and Shardul Thakur. He also says that Sai Sudharsan is making his debut and he will bat at number 3. 15:40 IST:England's skipper, Ben Stokes, reckons that Headingley is generally a pretty good wicket. Says that it is the end of June, and for this to be just the 2nd Test of the summer feels a bit weird. On the preparation, he says a few of the lads played county cricket and overall they had a great 3 days of preparation. Informs that the bowling lineup consists of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir and himself. 15:39 IST:India (Playing XI) - Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. 15:30 IST:England (Playing XI) - Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir. 15:29 IST:TOSS - Ben Stokes flicks the coin up in the air and Shubman Gill calls 'Tails.' It lands on 'Heads' and ENGLAND OPT TO BOWL.
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