Shubman Gill has two hundreds and a double hundred in the current Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, despite his team trailing 1-2. But questions around his captaincy are being raised and amidst everything Gary Kirsten, former World Cup-winning coach of India, offered his opinion on Gill.
In an interview with Rediff, Kirsten said: “Well, it’s early days. I think he’s got great potential. Captaincy is a whole lot of things that you’ve got to put together. He’s a great thinker in the game. He’s a good player himself. But there’s a whole bunch of things you’ve got to get right. And I think man management is going to play, like any leader.”
In 2011, Kirsten and MS Dhoni helped India win the 50-over World Cup for the first time in 28 years. Kirsten mentioned the quality that Gill could pick from Dhoni. “Dhoni was an incredible man-manager. If he can get that component of his leadership really fired up, I think he has all the credentials to become a great captain for India.”
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During the 2011 World Cup, Kirsten also worked closely with Gautam Gambhir, the current Indian coach. Gambhir has not had the best coaching tenure, particularly in red-ball cricket. Under him, suffered a 0–3 thumping at home against New Zealand and also lost 1-3 to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Kirsten offered his opinion on Gambhir, saying, “Well, I don’t know Gautam, the coach, at all.”
Additionally, Kirsten provided insights regarding Gambhir's personality. “Gautam, the player, I absolutely loved. He’s got a toughness to him that is very useful. I think he’s really strong. But he’s got a personality and he’s got a style. The big thing is does that personality and style connect with Indian players? That’s really what it’s going to be about.”
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In 2024, Gambhir guided the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory in the Indian Premier League as a mentor. “He’s had success in the IPL. I remember when we split the one-day team and the Test team and we made him the one-day captain against New Zealand before coming to South Africa. And he did a fantastic job,” Kirsten recalled.
“I don’t know enough about how it’s going or how he’s going with the players. But all I do know is that he’s got incredible skill in the game of cricket.”
“I’m thoroughly fond of Gautam and I just hope that he’s getting the support he needs and that the players are starting to, if not already, kind of warm to him and understand how he wants to operate and whether he can add value to the team,” Kirsten concluded.
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