"He deserves it.." Gautam Gambhir on Shubman Gill replacing Rohit Sharma as India's ODI captain

Shubman Gill was named India test captain in May and now ODI captain ahead of Australia tour.

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed Shubman Gill‘s ascension to ODI captain in place of Rohit Sharma, saying the 26-year-old “deserves” it. With two years till the next ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa, India have begun prepping for the competition.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took the first big step in reshaping the Indian team for the tournament by replacing Rohit Sharma as ODI captain with Shubman Gill, and his first job will be a three-match ODI series in Australia beginning on Sunday, October 19.

Gill has quickly gained the India captaincy across formats. After guiding the Gujarat Titans (GT) for two years in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Gill was given the test captaincy in May, and a few months later, he took over as ODI captain. Gill remains the vice-captain in T20Is as well.

While some say the transition occurred too quickly, Gambhir believes Gill has earned it.

“I think he deserves every bit of it. I think he’s worked hard, and I’ve said that he ticks all the boxes. And for me as a coach, I think someone who’s saying the right things, doing the right things, working hard, work ethic, commitment, putting his body on the line, being the first guy on the field, what more can a coach ask for? And I know it’s tough for him,” Gambhir said as per ANI.

“It was tough, and I said many times that England was probably the toughest Test for him. Five Test matches over a course of two, two and a half months against a quality England side, an intimidating batting line-up, and an inexperienced Indian team. What more could he have faced?” he added.

Gill walked the talk and led from the front with his bat, scoring 754 runs across 10 innings, and hitting four centuries with the best of 269.

You also earn respect by saying the right things: Gautam Gambhir on how Indian dressing room responded positively to Shubman Gill as captain

Although Gambhir acknowledged that scoring runs earns respect, he also acknowledged that using the right words is important, which Gill did, and the entire dressing room reacted to him.

“But then again, the way he handled himself and, more importantly, the way he’s handled the team and, more importantly, the way the team has responded to him. I think sometimes we only keep talking about the captain, but the way the team has responded to him and to his leadership is equally important. So, you’ve got to give credit to the entire group in that dressing room,” Gambhir said.

“Yes, you do earn respect by scoring runs, but you also earn respect by saying the right things and doing the right things. I think your actions should be more than anything else, not just the performances. So, I think he’s done phenomenally well, and so has the group. First and foremost, I need one,” Gambhir added.

Now, Shubman Gill has added another feather to his cap, earning his first test series win as India captain, defeating West Indies at home 2-0.

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