Shubman Gill is just 24 and is just into his fifth year in the international arena. In those four years, the classy right-hander has experienced a lot of highs and boasts a CV which can even make the greats look ordinary.
The journey got underway with the U-19 World Cup title in 2018 and saw him add Indian Premier League title, World Test Championship (WTC) Final appearance, ODI World Cup runners-up medal before the captain’s armband came his way on November 27.
It’s been nothing short of a cruise in the fast lane for the youngster who continues to make the world sit up and take note of his performances across formats. The journey hasn’t been that long yet, saw him get in and out of the sides but he controlled the controllables to first become a regular on the team sheets and then dominate.
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Some felt he is too slow for the shortest format and he responded with 890 runs, including three centuries, in 17 innings for GT at a healthy strike-rate of 157.80 in IPL 2023. He didn’t get a consistent run in ODIs when Shikhar Dhawan was opening with Rohit Sharma but when he did, he ended the second opener’s debate with an ongoing purple patch in the format. Gill made his ODI debut back in 2019 but it was not before late last year that he got consistent outings at top of the order.
The youngster was in no mood to let the opportunities go waste and scored bucket load of runs to emerge as one of the mainstays of India’s batting-order featuring the likes of Rohit, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. In 2023 alone, Gill has accumulated 1584 runs in 29 matches at a staggering average of 63.36 and scored five centuries and nine half-centuries.
From KKR to GT to captaincy
Kolkata Knight Riders were the first team to invest in Gill’s talent after his U-19 World Cup heroics as the franchise bought him for Rs 1.8 crore at the 2018 auction. The right-hander stayed with the two-time IPL champs before he was released ahead of the mega auction in 2022 where GT picked him as the third draft pick for Rs 8 crore.
From there began another glorious chapter of Gill’s career as he just took off and never looked back. In a new set-up, under a new captain and coach, the youngster got the freedom and security to express himself at top of the order. A 483-run opening season, where GT won the title, was followed by 890-run outing in the 2023 edition and Gill became part of the “leadership group” in the team.
GT’s Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki has been a strong advocate of Gill’s leadership skills and he echoed the same on the right-hander’s appointment as new skipper of the team.
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“Shubman Gill has shown growth in stature and standing over the last two years at the highest level of the game. We’ve seen him mature not only as a batter but also as a leader in cricket. His contribution on the field has helped Gujarat Titans emerge as a formidable force, guiding the team through a successful campaign in 2022 and a strong run in 2023.
“His maturity and skill is evident in his on-field performance and we are extremely excited to embark on a new journey with a young leader like Shubman at the helm,” Solanki said in a statement.
On getting captaincy of the team, Gill was “proud” and is now keenly looking forward to leading the side with “exciting brand of cricket”.
“I am delighted and proud to assume the captaincy of Gujarat Titans and thank the franchise for their trust in me to lead such a fine team. We have had two exceptional seasons and I keenly look forward to leading the team with our exciting brand of cricket,” said Gill.
The right choice
There was no dearth of captaincy options in the GT camp with presence of Rashid Khan, who has led in Pandya’s absence in the past, and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, who has a lot of IPL captaincy experience under his belt too, but the franchise has clearly invested in future. Something which would also help them keep the brand game strong.
“Any day you would take an Indian skipper and Gill is here to stay. From a team’s brand perspective, it’s always better to have an Indian player as the captain. Gill is a regular in all three formats for the Indian cricket team and is going to be a mainstay of Indian batting for years to come. So it makes sense to give him the captain’s armband,” say industry sources tracking developments.
The leadership role will be a big addition to Gill’s CV and will definitely help him take that next big step in his career. It will be interesting to see how he, who has just led in domestic circuit in the past, fares in the new role and support and guidance from coach Ashish Nehra and mentor Gary Kirsten will be crucial in shaping Gill the captain, the leader.
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