Team India skipper Shubman Gill shared his experience playing under Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and what he learnt from them in terms of leadership. The 25-year-old took over the captaincy charge from Rohit after the swashbuckling announcement of retirement from Test cricket ahead of the England tour. Under Gill’s captaincy, India will enter a transitional phase with Kohli, Rohit and R Ashwin out of the picture with their recent retirements from red-ball cricket.
During the early phase of his career, Shubman played under Kohli’s captaincy and shared that the batting maestro was always proactive on the field, with a backup plan in place to help the bowlers get the job done.
“When I played under Virat Bhai, I think his proactiveness in the Test matches on the field or with the ideas or with his thinking was something that I like and I picked up. If he thinks that is okay, this plan is not working, he will immediately have another plan, communicate it with the bowlers on what he wants from them,” Gill mentioned in a chat with Sky Sports.
Gill also opened up about Rohit’s captaincy style, noting that while it may not appear aggressive on the ground, he’s fiercely aggressive when it comes to tactics.
“It can seem that Rohit Bhai is not aggressive, but he can be very aggressive in terms of his tactics. Tactically, he is quite an aggressive captain. “He is someone who is very clear with his communication prior to the matches, during the series and even after the series on what he wants from the players,” he commented.
‘Rohit Sharma is firm but even if he’s hard on you…’
Rohit was well known for his stump-mic banter, which frequently went viral on social media. Gill also acknowledged that when the former Test captain lets fly with a few choice words, nobody takes it to heart, as everyone understands it’s all in the heat of competition and not meant personally.
“The kind of environment I think Rohit bhai keeps. Even if Rohit bhai is swearing at you, you will not take it to your heart. That’s just his personality and that is a great trait to have. He’s firm but even if he’s hard on you, you know that it’s not coming from his heart and more from the team’s perspective,” he said.
Shubman is likely to face significant pressure during the five-Test series, particularly with his batting, as his recent form in overseas conditions has fallen short of expectations. The series is set to take place from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord’s and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
