‘I’ll protect him, too much unfair criticism’: Gautam Gambhir stands by Shubman Gill

Months after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket in the middle of the IPL, Gill took over the Test team during a tumultuous time. After suffering series losses to Australia on the road and a 0–3 thumping at home against New Zealand, India was under tremendous pressure going to England.

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“I do remember. I remember the entire conversation,” Gambhir said. “Picking a 25-year-old to captain a Test side, I told him one thing very clearly: ‘We have thrown you in a deep sea. From here, there are only two paths — you may drown or you’ll become a world-class swimmer.’ For me, the 750 runs in England don’t matter as much as the way a 25-year-old, in his first Test series as captain, handled himself, the team, and the pressure.”

On the second day of the second Test in New Delhi, Gill extended his incredible run in Test cricket by reaching his fifth hundred as captain, matching Virat Kohli's record for the most hundreds an Indian Test captain has scored in a calendar year.

Gill's selection as Test captain had been questioned because the young player had battled to establish himself at No. 4 and was inconsistent in the longest format, especially while playing abroad.

But he turned things around in England, scoring four hundreds, including a double century, demonstrating that he had become a natural leader. After Kohli retired, Gill batted at number four and finished the five-Test series in England with 754 runs.

Following India's victory in the Oval Test to level the series, Gambhir thought back on his chat with Gill.

“I don’t think he will face a tougher test in his career. Regardless of whether he captains for 10 years, 15 years, or two years, that was a challenging two-month period. England had an intimidating batting unit, and our side was inexperienced, but he handled the pressure superbly. That was a massive test. I remember after the Oval Test, I told him, ‘You have passed your most difficult test. The transition is over. From here, things will become easier.’”

“I hope it does become easier for him, because he deserves it. He has faced a lot of criticism; people have said many things, and some of it has been unfair. Sometimes you pick a player based on potential. You can’t expect a 24-year-old to always average 50 or score runs consistently across the world — that happens over time. Given his potential, I wasn’t surprised he scored 750 runs in England.

“But more than that, I was impressed with the way he led the team. During the tour, I was under pressure, the support staff was under pressure, but more than anyone, he was under pressure. In those 25 days, there wasn’t a single moment he showed frustration or stress. He led the team with a smile through 25 days of intense cricket. He deserves the success, and everyone in that dressing room deserves it too,” Gambhir added.

Gill leads India's run-scoring charts with 966 runs in Test matches this year. India is now aiming for their first series sweep under Gill's leadership after gaining a draw in England. Declaring their first innings at 518 for 5, they set themselves up for a decisive victory in the second Test in Delhi after defeating the West Indies by an innings and 140 runs in Ahmedabad in the series opener.