With Indian cricket embarking upon a new era with Shubman Gill assuming the responsibility of captaincy in Tests, a guiding advice has come from the erstwhile head coach Ravi Shastri as the young skipper prepares to face a daunting task in England.
During a chat on The ICC Review, Shastri counselled the 25-year-old to keep his cool and give himself time to settle into the huge responsibility of captaining the national team in a five-Test series in England.
"I think, take your time," said Shastri. "It won't be easy. He's been asked to perform a difficult task - that is to lead India in a tour of England."
Gill takes the leadership role after experienced campaigners Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from the longest version. The coming Test series, beginning June 20 at Headingley, also marks the start of India's 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship cycle campaign.
Even though Gill's red-ball numbers — 1,893 runs at 35.05 from 32 Tests — aren't yet in the elite yet, Shastri believes it is a turning point in the opener's development as a leader.
"It's never simple," Shastri admitted, "but I believe he will learn from this exposure."
Looking back on Gill's recent stint as Gujarat Titans captain in the IPL 2025 season, Shastri mentioned that even though the team's campaign came to an end in the Eliminator, the young captain did not show any signs of nervousness.
"What I witnessed of him in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans, he appeared very composed and collected. He's got a good temperament," Shastri added.
Gill, who has been in top white-ball form all year, also impressed in a recent intra-squad red-ball match in Beckenham when he played a fluent half-century. But the test that awaits in England, famous for its challenging conditions, will be a test of his technical ability and temperament, particularly for a captain going into his first full tour at the top.
India will also be hoping to bring an end to a long drought of a Test series triumph in England — last achieved way back in 2007 under Rahul Dravid's captaincy. For Gill, the series is not only a captaincy debut overseas but also an opportunity to write a new chapter for Indian Test cricket.
Shastri concluded by highlighting long-term significance of this opportunity in Gill's cricketing career. "He's grown as a human being, he's got some young guys around him, and I think it's a learning curve as far as Shubman Gill is concerned."
