"He led by example with the bat…" Ricky Ponting praises Shubman Gill for his captaincy on England tour

Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI and test captain.

Shubman Gill made his India test captaincy debut on the recent tour of England and led the team to a 2-2 draw in a five-test series. Shubman Gill led from the front, scoring 754 runs in 10 innings, including four centuries and a best score of 269 runs.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised Shubman Gill’s captaincy, saying the true fighter in him emerges when the team needs him the most. Following this performance, Gill was selected ODI captain, succeeding Rohit Sharma.  

While the first ODI against Australia in Perth did not go as planned, Ponting has been impressed with Gill’s captaincy. Speaking on the ICC Review, the Australian icon admitted that Gill was a little out of character at times, but he maintained his authority on the side.

“I actually loved what he did with that team in the UK against a really good English side. There were certain moments where he was probably a little bit out of character. He did what he had to do to put his stamp on the team and really stand up for them. Little things that he did—like not coming off the ground in Manchester—I just think he made a strong impression. He asserted his authority on the team really quickly. And he led by example with the bat,” Ponting said on ICC Review.

Shubman Gill has 2839 runs in 39 tests with an average of 43.01, including 10 centuries and eight fifties. In ODIs, Shubman Gill has 2785 runs in 56 games, at an average of 58.02, including eight hundreds and 15 fifties, with the best score of 208. He also has 705 runs in 28 T20Is with one century and three fifties.

The bulldog came out when the team needed him the most: Ricky Ponting on Shubman Gill

On the pitch, Gill is usually a pretty placid customer, but during the England tour, when the team most needed him, he displayed his combative side. Ponting claimed that he was impressed by the bulldog in Gill that emerged at that moment.

“When there was a critical moment, when he had to draw a line in the sand, he did that. That has not always been his way—he’s normally pretty calm and has a cool demeanor on the field. But that real fighting, sort of bulldog, came out when his team needed him the most. That’s what I want to see from any player representing the country,” said Ponting.

After losing the first ODI in Perth, India and Australia will clash in the second ODI in Adelaide on October 23.

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