Dravid’s Endorsement Key to Shubman Gill’s Ascension as India’s Test Captain

Rahul Dravid and
Shubman Gill
Gill’s connection with this setup traces back to 2017 when he was an 18-year-old poised to experience international cricket for the first time as part of India’s U-19 squad led by coach Dravid. At that point, Gill wasn’t considered one of the standout names; that distinction belonged to Prithvi Shaw, who captained the side and was heralded as the future star of Indian cricket. A year after their initial meeting, following the victory at the U-19 Cricket World Cup, there was a subtle shift in how things unfolded within the team dynamic. This transformation saw Gill emerge as India’s top scorer, earning praise particularly for his poise, stability, and knack for performing well under duress. During those early days, both Gill and Dravid remained somewhat distant from the core group associated with the national senior team. Their paths didn’t cross again until they reconvened as mentor and mentee some three years later.

A year later, when Dravid was coaching India, he consulted with then-captain Rohit Sharma before presenting an unusual proposition to Gill. He enquired about his preferred batting position within India’s Test lineup. At this point, Gill had been playing Tests for less than two years and averaged around 30. Despite these modest statistics, Dravid seemed to perceive qualities in Gill that transcended mere numbers. Many recognize Gill as a talented batsman; however, Dravid’s intuition ran deeper. The coach envisioned leadership potential in the youngster hailing from Punjab.

Gill, who began his Test career as an opening batsman, took over the No. 3 position following its recent vacancy due to Cheteshwar Pujara’s departure. However, he truly proved himself worthy of this new role during the home Test series against England. Despite losing the initial match in Hyderabad, India required another batter besides Yashasvi Jaiswal to rise when Virat Kohli was unavailable. In response, Gill effortlessly delivered, scoring a magnificent century in the subsequent Test’s second innings.

The right-handed player was essentially vying for a position. In subsequent Test matches, Gill managed to score two half-centuries in the second innings and concluded the five-match series with yet another century during the game held in Dharamsala, aiding India’s victory with an overall score of 4-1. Despite challenging batting conditions on the wickets and missing several key players from their lineup, Gill remained steadfast at number three in the batting order.

Within the same series, he showed active involvement in the team’s strategic planning and field positioning. He began expressing his views on crucial topics during locker room discussions. Dravid responded to this favorably. The promise he had spotted several years earlier was now turning into tangible success.

Dravid probably didn’t anticipate how quickly Gill would ascend into a leadership role within Indian cricket when he stepped down as head coach following the T20 World Cup victory. However, nobody could have predicted Rohit Sharma’s significant decline in performance over the past three Test series either.

The part Dravid played in Shubman Gill’s selection

As the selection committee weighed options between Mayank Agarwal and Rishabh Pant for leading India’s Test team following Rohit Sharma’s decision to retire from the format, Jasprit Bumrah was excluded from consideration because of his managed work load. Seeking guidance, the panel turned to Rahul Dravid. Without hesitation, the esteemed player praised Shubman Gill’s potential as a leader.

The Hindustan Times has gathered reliable information indicating that ex-coach Dravid’s input was crucial in Gil becoming India’s youngest Test skipper at just 25 years old, even with his somewhat modest batting average of 35.

“As he had observed Gill through his teenage years and had previously coached him at both the U19 level and with the senior team, the selectors conversed with Dravid. They expressed considerable praise for Gill’s leadership capabilities,” stated a source within the BCCI.

Agarkar mentioned that Gill is set for an extended period as a leader, and his selection committee completely trusts his capability to meet this challenge head-on.

“He doesn’t select captains just for one or two terms. The aim is to make an investment that will benefit our future plans. We truly hope this was the correct decision. Over the past year, we have observed significant advancement with him,” he stated.

Gill was getting ready to become the next skipper. Just prior to the Champions Trophy, he was chosen as the ODI vice-captain. If things had gone differently—and India’s performance hadn’t dipped so sharply in the past couple of Test matches along with Rohit and Kohli stepping back at the same time—a comparable appointment might well have been made for Tests too.

Agarkar, Dravid, and the countless Indian cricket enthusiasts would wish for their act of belief to pay off, whether it be sooner or in the reasonably close future.

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