By Amlan Chakraborty
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India test captain Shubman Gill has inherited a blueprint for winning series abroad and will lead by example to achieve that goal, the 25-year-old said on Sunday.
Gill was thrust into the role after Rohit Sharma quit test cricket this month and Virat Kohli followed suit ahead of a five-match series in England.
“I’m looking forward for this exciting opportunity, and I think the upcoming series in England is going to be a very exciting one,” the elegant top-order batter said in a video shared by the Indian Cricket Board.
“I believe in leading by example, not just by my performance but, off the field, by my discipline and hard work.”
Captaining the national cricket team is often called the second most important job in India, after the prime minister’s, and Gill will lead a dressing room containing players who enjoy rock-star status in the cricket-mad country.
“As a captain, a leader should be able to know when to step in but also when to give space to the players, because everyone…has a different personality,” he said.
Knowing players at a deeper level and creating a conducive atmosphere were key to getting the best results out of them, Gill said.
The Punjab player said he learnt a lot from playing cricket alongside Rohit and Kohli, India’s previous two test captains, as well as former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
He admired Kohli’s passion and Rohit’s calmness even though both were aggressive captains aiming for a common goal.
“These are the qualities that I learned from guys like Rohit, Virat and Ashwin,” Gill said.
“They have given us a blueprint on how to tour away from home and win matches and series.
“It’s one thing to be able to deliver and execute, but because we have that blueprint, we know how to tour away from home and win matches and series.”
The onus will be on him to fill the void in the top order left by Rohit and Kohli.
“…if I’m batting out there, I want to be able to make decisions as a batsman and not as a captain,” Gill said.
“If I start thinking about other things, it just puts more pressure on me which is not required.”
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Ed Osmond)
