Shubman Gill shows first sign of bold captaincy in addressing Kohli, Rohit’s Test exit: ‘No different pressure’

While the world will still have to wait for another fortnight to get a true glimpse of Shubman Gill’s captaincy in Test cricket, with the India star set to become the youngest leader of the team in this century, come the Test series against England, the 25-year-old gave the first sign of his bold leadership when he addressed the sudden retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma before the tour.

Less than a month before the Indian team’s departure for the tour of England, Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket via Instagram. Just five days later, Kohli did the same. The back-to-back announcements left an air of uncertainty around the strength of the Indian team, especially before the crucial series against England.

However, Gill boldly dismissed questions about any pressure on the young Indian team in the absence of the two stalwarts, saying it was just like any tough situation they had faced before.

“Pressure is always there in every tour. Definitely, two very experienced players who played for such a long time and won so many times, very difficult to fill their space. But it is not a different kind of pressure, all of us players are used to it,” he said in the pre-tour presser on Wednesday.

India will have experienced players in KL Rahul, returning Karun Nair, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and of course, Jasprit Bumrah.

Gill also opened up about the kind of captain he wanted to be, saying that he wanted to make players feel secure during his tenure through communication.

“No particular style that I want to follow. I like communication with the players, making them feel secure. Making a bond with the players is very important for me as a captain. It is only when players are secure that they will give you their 100 percent,” he said.

The England series will begin on June 20 at the Headingley.