With a relatively modest amount of captaincy experience, Shubman Gill is set to take on the role of captain for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, after the previous captain, Hardik Pandya, returned to the Mumbai Indians. Though Gill’s leadership experience may seem limited, it exceeds that of Pandya at the time of his appointment; Gill has captained Punjab in two T20s, India A in six List A games, and he has held the leadership position in four first-class matches back in 2019.
Gill is no stranger to performing under pressure, having been a key player in the Titans’ victorious campaign in their debut IPL season. Additionally, in IPL 2023, he was a standout performer and the highest run-scorer for his team with a stunning 890 runs in 17 innings, including three centuries. Despite the team finishing as runners-up, his performances have been nothing short of impressive. The upcoming 2024 season will mark his first venture as a skipper in the league.
Cricketing mentor Karsan Ghavri, who spotted Gill’s potential when he was just 11 years old, has expressed confidence in Gill’s abilities to step into this new role. “I personally feel that it will be a great learning process for him. I am sure he will grow as a player. I hope that he will handle the pressure well,” Ghavri commented. As a former India medium pacer and head of BCCI’s pace bowling academy at Mohali’s PCA Stadium, Ghavri’s support stems from witnessing Gill’s progression over the years. According to him, captaincy is a multifaceted responsibility that demands more than just run-scoring capabilities.
Ghavri dismissed comparisons to Ravindra Jadeja, who briefly captained the Chennai Super Kings before the franchise reverted to MS Dhoni. Unlike Jadeja’s short stint, he sees in Gill the same qualities that cricketing greats such as Dhoni possess. “He is calm, cool and has got all those traits that Dhoni had. However, we must wait and see whether all those qualities will sync when it comes to captaincy,” Ghavri added.
Conversely, former national selector Bhupinder Singh Sr believes that the captaincy might have been thrust upon Gill somewhat prematurely. Singh expressed his concerns about the rapid pace of cricketing careers in the current era, which is largely driven by corporate interests, especially within the IPL. Singh is optimistic about Gill’s potential to emulate cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli but warns that captaincy could be a risky venture that requires patience and grooming.
The challenges of captaining an IPL team differ significantly from leading a state or national side due to the diverse mix of international players involved. Former India fielding coach R Sridhar highlighted the importance of building trust across the various cultural backgrounds represented within an IPL squad. He pointed out that while teams at the state level tend to have a consistent cultural composition, IPL teams are far more eclectic.
Since his breakout performances at the 2018 U-19 World Cup, Gill has been earmarked as the potential successor to Virat Kohli in the echelons of Indian batsmanship. His career thus far has indeed lived up to the considerable hype that followed him since his youth cricket days. Whether this will translate into successful captaincy, however, remains to be seen. Sridhar, for one, is supportive of Gill being given the chance to lead, asserting that responsibility will encourage his growth as a player and a person.
Khushpreet Singh Aulkah, a long-time friend and associate of Gill, shared insights into Gill’s aspirations, which include emulating the captaincy successes of cricketing icons like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. According to Aulkah, Gill is motivated by challenges and responsibility, hinting at a heartfelt ambition to captain his country in the future. As Gill steps into this new chapter of his professional career, all eyes will be on his leadership and how it will shape his and Gujarat Titans’ future in the IPL.