Shubman Gill showed great potential as a captain during the recent T20I series against Zimbabwe. That was his induction into being the Indian cricket captain. The 4-1 series victory, after having lost the first game, was a phenolic recovery, but his form as a batter has been found wanting.
The batting was in a highlight reel. Gill, by far, is the highest run-scorer of this series, with 179 runs from five innings; however, many feel he struggled to dominate the bowlers as such. Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad made more telling contributions in lesser-known roles. Not being able to hold good batting pressure was one of the downsides in Gill’s favor.
A Great Beginning for Shubman Gill
Former BCCI chief selector Saba Karim credited Gill for his ability to absorb pressure. The series would have taken a big blow by losing its first match. In that sense, the way Gill handled and remained calm in making strategic decisions made it possible to bounce back. Of course, the capacity to absorb pressure is one of the most important features of any captain.
While earlier, Gill has not made it to the squad for the T20 World Cup. Not deterred by this setback, something in him clicked with the selectors, and he was announced as the captain for the series against Zimbabwe. The decision came following the successful campaign in the USA and West Indies, recording major leadership opportunities in the absence of senior players like Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Saba Karim accepted the talent and leadership of Gill. He opined that Gill needed more consistency to back his batting. He expected more from Shubman Gill in terms of running and making an impact. But with this little shortcoming, Karim was impressed by Shubman Gill as a captain.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was immediate in his impact after joining the team mid-tour. He was not part of the World Cup squad, but he was brilliant right from his first game in the series. Karim would stride off to hail Yashasvi for closely held momentum, considering that he did not get much match practice lately.
The leadership qualities of Shubman Gill were tested from the very beginning. The early loss could have completely demoralized the team, but his calm composure and resourceful brain got the team back on board. This battling and recovery were the hallmarks of their series win.
They are expecting him to be a great prospect for Indian cricket. His captaincy debut was an important learning experience for the match, and the skills he showed were all indicative of a great future. The more exposure he gets, the greater leader and consistent performer Shubman Gill may turn into.
Learning from Mistakes
Even though Gill earlier did not make it into the T20 World Cup squad, the selectors still found his candidate worthy and named him captain for the series against Zimbabwe. This happened after a successful campaign in the USA and West Indies, where Gill’s performances had been noteworthy. When Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah did not participate in the match, the captaincy was like a windfall for Gill to put before the world his leadership qualities and etch himself as a future leader in Indian cricket.
Shubman Gill’s captaincy debut was quite a mixed bag for success and improvement. The leadership qualities shown and the pressure handling were also quite praiseworthy. Of course, improvement in the consistency of batting has to be an absolute necessity for further success.
It is the lessons learned and the insights from this series against Zimbabwe that are going to help shape things in the years to come. If he continues to get the support of the selectors and works on improving his weak points, Gill can easily look to become one of the mainstays of Indian cricket in terms of leadership and performance. Up front now lies a tough but promising road; to attain full potential, grit and hard work will be very necessary.
