The former Indian coach Ravi Shastri has shared a piece of advise to India’s New Test captain Shubman Gill ahead of the first test against England.
The Men in Blues are slated to play a five match test series in India’s tour of England 2025 which marks a new era in Tests without the stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Hence, all eyes will be on Shubman Gill who steps into the leadership role at the age of 25. With an average of 35.05 from 32 matches, Gill’s red-ball journey is still in its early days.
With India’s 17 year long wait for a Test series win in England, Gill is looked beyond captaincy. This is the first time he will be tested under prolonged scrutiny in the longest format, both tactically and temperamentally.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that while the task will be far from easy, it could prove a pivotal experience in Gill’s career.
“I think, take your time. It’s not going to be easy. He’s been asked to do a tough job, that is to captain India on a tour of England,” said Ravi Shastri.
“It’s never easy, but I think he will learn from this exposure,” he added. Ravi Shastri was impressed with Gill’s captaincy stint in Gujarat Titans handling pressure and ability to command a unit of varied experience.
“What I saw of him in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans, he seemed very composed and calm. He’s got a good temperament,” he added.
Shastri believes that Gill’s growth as leader is inevitable. “He’s matured as an individual, he’s got some young players around with him, and I think it’s a learning curve as far as Shubman Gill goes.”
India’s five match test series against England also marks the beginning of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-26 cycle.
The first match of the test series will be played between June 20 and 24 at Headingley, while the second match will be played between July 2 and 6 at Edgbaston.
The third match will be played between July 10 and 14 at Lord’s Cricket Ground while the fourth test will be played between 23 and 27 at The Old Trafford Cricket Ground. The fifth and final test will be played between July 31 and August 4 at The Oval.
