Shubman Gill’s batting form boosted his captaincy: Irfan Pathan on India’s leadership transition

Irfan Pathan confident about Shubman Gill as all-format captain.

Captaincy has always been a talked-about matter in cricket. It’s a favourite subject in India. People like discussing the intricacies of the job, dissecting it and delivering a verdict. At the moment, the spotlight is on Shubman Gill, who excelled as a batter in the recent Test series in England and led a relatively inexperienced team to a creditable 2-2 draw.

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan thinks Gill’s success with the bat helped him as a skipper. He also feels Gill should be seen in a leadership role across formats.

In an interview with RevSportz, Pathan said: “Captain Shubman Gill being helped by batsman Shubman Gill was a great thing to happen.”

Many believe that was a key factor. The runs he made gave him confidence what he doing was right.

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Pathan explained that the task was difficult because it meant Gill had to perform two duties. “When someone is a batsman, they wear a single hat, but when they become a captain, they wear two hats. For any player to have an upgrade in the role, that too something that gives you more responsibility, is very difficult... He has proven that he is someone who loves responsibility, knows how to react and move forward with that responsibility.”

The next question is Gill’s role in other formats. At the moment, India has different captains in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. However, things may soon change in ODIs, because Rohit Sharma is longer an all-format player. Gill is and significantly, he is the vice-captain in both white-ball formats. The T20I vice-captaincy was given to him recently and this indicates what the selectors are thinking.

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“There must be a certain type of continuity in leadership,” said the junior of the Pathan brothers. “Nowhere would you see three captains in three formats... Imagine the people sitting at the back, say Rahul Dravid or Ravi Shastri and, now, Gautam Gambhir. How easy or difficult will it be to work with three captains? I understand what Indian cricket is trying to do. They are trying to have stability in terms of leadership because it’s a transition... It’s important for Shubman to be there in the leadership.”

That’s clear from the decisions of the selection committee. Gradually, Gill is being given leadership duties instead of everything in one go. It was ODI vice-captaincy first, Test captaincy then and T20I deputy leadership after that. It is evident that thoughts and things are moving in one direction.

“The message should go out loud and clear to every player — more than the media or fans — that who the engine of this train is, so that the train reaches a single destination, no matter the speed. Shubman’s captaincy will get better with time... I think that going in one direction is important. And this is what it seems like Indian cricket is doing with Shubman right now,” said Pathan.