During a recent Test match between India and West Indies in Ahmedabad, Indian captain Shubman Gill was briefly absent from the field, with Devdutt Padikkal stepping in as a substitute fielder. In Gill’s absence, Ravindra Jadeja, the vice-captain and player-of-the-match, led the team.
It later became clear that Gill’s disappearance was for a virtual selection meeting for the upcoming tour of Australia, where he was surprisingly appointed captain of the ODI team, replacing Rohit Sharma.
At just 26, Gill already holds significant leadership roles: he is the Test captain and T20I vice-captain to Suryakumar Yadav. He’s also a highly sought-after personality, endorsing 16 major brands and positioned as the BCCI’s poster boy. With a new team sponsor on board, the BCCI appears eager to promote a fresh face for the sport. This situation even raises questions about potential conflicts with rival brands, such as his personal bat sponsor versus the team’s official tyre sponsor. However, such a rapid ascent and intense workload carry considerable risks, including injuries and player burnout. The demanding schedule is evident: India concludes its Test series against West Indies in New Delhi on October 14, assuming the match goes the distance.
The tour to Australia then commences just five days later, on October 19, in Perth, requiring the team to depart on the 15th. The Australian tour wraps up with the fifth T20I in Brisbane on November 8. Immediately after, the first Test against South Africa begins in Kolkata on November 14. This grueling series, comprising two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is, concludes on December 19 in Ahmedabad.
Gill is expected to participate in every single one of these fixtures. Between October 10 and December 19, he is scheduled to travel an astonishing 19,066.8 air miles. His responsibilities include captaining and opening in ODIs, captaining and batting at No. 4 in Tests, and opening in T20Is with Abhishek Sharma. He will face immense pressure to justify his selection as an opener over Sanju Samson and to prove his capability as a deputy to Suryakumar Yadav.
This represents an extraordinary burden for the young cricketer. When questioned about the risk of burnout for a key player like Gill due to such a packed schedule, chief selector Ajit Agarkar remained confident. “Hopefully not. I mean, he’s still quite young,” Agarkar stated. “We saw what he did in England under immense pressure. So, there were really positive signs there. You’ve seen his record in One-day cricket as a batter. We hope there’s no burnout.”
Indeed, Gill’s One-Day International record is exceptional. In 55 ODIs, he has amassed 2,775 runs at an impressive average of 59.04 and a strike rate of 99.56, including eight centuries and fifteen half-centuries. He appears well on his way to becoming an ODI legend, much like his idol and the player he replaced as captain, Virat Kohli.
In a sport driven by ego and ambition, where Gill is perceived as a favored talent and entrusted with significant power, he will need to master the art of man-management. This involves adeptly playing both the ‘good cop’ and ‘bad cop’ roles with younger team members and carefully navigating his leadership style, particularly when dealing with seasoned veterans like Kohli and Rohit.
His transition to Test captaincy was relatively smooth, largely because Kohli and Rohit had retired from that format, allowing Gill and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir to influence the team’s direction. However, the white-ball setup under Rohit since 2021 was meticulously crafted, and now its architect will remain a player, but without the captain’s armband. How Gill manages this intricate dynamic will be a critical and fascinating aspect to watch.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif, on his YouTube channel, openly questioned the decision to appoint Gill as ODI skipper, suggesting that selectors pressured him into accepting the role. “He’s getting all of it in a hurry. It could also lead to a loss. When you get so much in such a short time, it could backfire,” Kaif warned. He further voiced concerns about Gill becoming overburdened, stating, “My point is that don’t overburden him. He captains in Tests, bats at No. 4. He was made the vice-captain in the Asia Cup — will take over when Suryakumar Yadav steps aside. Now you’ve made him the ODI captain. I feel everything is being done in a hurry. A player never asks for captaincy. Everyone knows that he didn’t want it. You can’t demand it, but everyone seems to like him a lot and considers him a captain for the future. The selectors, including Ajit Agarkar, have pressurised him.”