"Stick with him for..."- Ravi Shastri urges BCCI to give this much time to 'matured' Shubman Gill to prove his worth as test captain

Shubman Gill was appointed as test skipper ahead of India’s tour of England 2025.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has urged Indian selectors to retain Shubman Gill as test captain for the next three years. The young batter was appointed as the skipper in the longest format of the game ahead of India’s tour of England 2025 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The right-handed batsman delivered a wonderful batting performance in the opening test against England at Headingley, Leeds, as he scored a staggering century, scoring 147 runs. He became the fifth Indian player to score a century on captaincy debut. However, he could not take his team to victory as England won the encounter by five wickets.

Notably, four Indian batters, including twin tons by Rishabh Pant, slammed centuries in the match. However, they didn’t get support from the bowlers, who failed to defend a 371-run target in the second innings. Ben Duckett slammed a 149-run knock to help the hosts chase down the target with ease.

Ravi Shastri backs Shubman Gill to continue as test captain

During a conversation with Wisden, cricketer-turned-commentator Shastri backed Shubman Gill to continue as test captain for the next three years. He also urged the BCCI to retain Gill as a skipper even if India loses the ongoing test series against England.

“He’s matured a lot. The way he handles the media, the way he talks at press conferences, at tosses—he’s matured a lot. Let him be there for three years. Don’t chop and change irrespective of what happens in the series. Stick with him for three years, and I think he will deliver for you,” Shastri said.

Shastri also believes that Gill will achieve success as skipper in future if he learns and adapts to conditions.

“I’ll be disappointed if Gill doesn’t go places. Languid, lazy elegance, and he’s got a regal element of being regal out there when he’s batting. If he can learn with exposure and adapt to conditions, I think that’s the one name I can see,” he added.

Meanwhile, some cricket experts slammed Gill’s captaincy after India lost the first test despite a brilliant batting performance during the encounter. The Shubman Gill & Co. will now aim for a comeback in the second test, which will begin from July 2 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. England leads the five-match series 1-0.

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