Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar urged newly appointed skipper Shubman Gill to carry himself in a manner that commands respect from his teammates.
Shubman Gill has been named the full-time Test captain for India, and his first major assignment is the upcoming tour of England. With just a month to go before the series, he has already received his first big piece of advice from the legendary Sunil Gavaskar.
Sunil Gavaskar Urges Shubman Gill to Lead with Influence
Gavaskar noted that Gill will face added pressure as captain—especially with his debut assignment being an overseas tour. He said:
“There is always pressure on the player who gets elected as India's captain, as there is a big difference between being a member of the team and being the captain.”
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He went on to stress that Gill’s conduct will matter more than his personal performance. According to Gavaskar, a captain should influence the team through his presence and earn respect beyond just stats:
“Because when you are a team member, you generally just interact with players close to you, but when you become the captain, you should behave in a way that the other players in the team respect you, and a captain's behaviour is more important than his performance.”
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India Enters New Era with Gill at the Helm
India is entering a new era following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Shubman Gill will lead the side, with Rishabh Pant appointed as vice-captain. Newcomers Arshdeep Singh, Sai Sudharsan, and Prasidh Krishna are also expected to make their Test debuts in this series.
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England vs India Test schedule
1st Test: June 20 to June 24 (Leeds)
2nd Test: July 2 to July 6 (Birmingham)
3rd Test: July 10 to July 14 (London)
4th Test: July 23 to July 27 (Manchester)
5th Test: July 31 to August 4 (London)
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