New Delhi: If India take a punt to appoint Shubman Gill as the Test captain, then he should be given ample time to prove his credentials as skipper in red-ball cricket, says Gujarat Titans assistant coach Ashish Kapoor.
Gill has impressed as captain of Gujarat Titans and is tipped to succeed Rohit Sharma as the Test skipper after his retirement. India’s next assignment starts after a month through a five-match series in England, also marking the start of a new World Test Championship cycle.
“If you see Shubman as a batsman, or basically as a cricketer, whether he’s a good thinker or not, I think he’s a good thinker of his own game,” Kapoor said on Sunday after GT’s win over DC.
“I’ve seen him since the Under-16 days. In fact, I’ve done two camps with him at the NCA. Even back then, he used his brain a lot more than many others his age. And that’s a key quality for a captain — to not just think for yourself but for the ten other players as well, and plan how to win matches.”
Kapoor said that should Gill be chosen as the Test captain it would be a leap into the unknown, on the lines of MS Dhoni who was asked to lead India in the 2007 T20 World Cup despite having no prior experience.
“We’re watching him lead in T20 cricket, but when Dhoni was named captain for the World Cup (in 2007), he hadn’t captained anywhere. Nobody knew back then that he’d go on to become one of the world’s best captains,” the former India spinner said.
“If you had asked someone at that time — even Dhoni himself — what they thought of his captaincy, there would’ve been no answer. You have to observe a player over a period of time before making any judgment. Shubman hasn’t even started yet, so it’s very difficult to say.”
‘Proper cricket shots’
Sai Sudharsan has been in hot form for GT in IPL 2025, and is the leading run-getter with 617 runs in 12 matches so far, which Kapoor attributed to his willingness to hit traditional attacking shots along the ground and not rely only on aerial shots.
“He analyses his own game. He wants to attack. If you see even his attacking shots are still boundaries. If he gets that one ball which is short or something, he gets a six. But the rest are proper cricket, attacking shots along the ground,” Kapoor said.
“He’s more aware to play these shots at the start of his innings, the percentage was less last year, which has become better this year.”
Shubman Gill has impressed as captain of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 and is reportedly in contention to succeed Rohit Sharma as India’s Test skipper. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
