Sunil Gavaskar said, “Making a young player the captain could help India, not just for this series but for the next two too.”

The BCCI announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming Test series against England on Saturday, May 24. As many reports had predicted, Shubman Gill has been named India’s 37th Test captain, taking over from Rohit Sharma, who retired from Test cricket earlier this month on May 7.

Although some fans and cricket experts are unsure about Gill leading the team because his performance as a Test batter has been average, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar advised everyone to be patient and give him time. Gavaskar believes Shubman should be given a full season as captain before people judge how well he can handle the role.

“Yes, definitely. No one becomes successful overnight. Young players need time and enough chances to prove themselves. You can’t decide their potential after just a few games. It’s the same with captains—you shouldn’t judge them after one series. Let them lead for a full season, then you can fairly assess how well they’re handling the responsibility,” Gavaskar said in an interview with India Today.

Shubman Gill made his Test debut in 2020 and has played 32 matches so far, scoring runs at an average of 35.05. However, his performance in tough overseas conditions like England and South Africa has been poor, with his batting average dropping below 20 in those places.

Despite these concerns, Gavaskar and others believe that giving a young captain like Shubman time to grow and learn could benefit Indian cricket in the long run.

Captaincy Can Improve Your Batting, Says Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar said that Test cricket is very important to Shubman Gill. He believes Gill, who is just 25 years old, has the potential to lead the Indian team for the next three World Test Championship (WTC) cycles. Gavaskar explained that giving him the captaincy now is a smart move for the future.

He added that even though Gill has played only around 30 Tests, many past Indian captains had led the team with even less experience and still had long, successful careers. Gavaskar praised Gill’s dedication to the game and said he takes Test cricket very seriously. Because of this, Gavaskar feels there is a strong chance that Gill could become one of India’s best Test captains. Since this is the start of a new WTC cycle, Gavaskar believes trusting a young captain like Gill could benefit India for this and possibly the next two cycles.

Former cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar said it will be tough for Indian batters to perform well in England because of the challenging weather. He also pointed out that Shubman Gill often gets good starts in Tests but fails to turn them into big scores, especially in away matches. However, Gavaskar believes that becoming captain might actually help Shubman’s batting.

“Whether he is captain or not, the first few Tests will be hard. The weather will be cold and windy, which isn’t great for batting. But Gill has the skill. He knows he hasn’t turned his 30s and 40s into big hundreds, especially overseas. That’s an area he can improve. I think captaincy might help him focus more. When you’re leading the team and also batting, you often avoid risky shots, which could work in your favour,” Gavaskar said.