India vs England: Shubman Gill talks about the faith shown in him by Gambhir and Agarkar

The young Shubman Gill has big shoes to fill as he heads out on a new journey with the Indian team. The 25-year-old has been entrusted with the responsibility to lead India in Tests after the retirement of Rohit Sharma. Gill's tenure as India's Test captain is set to kick off with the five-match India vs England Test series. While the start of the new WTC Cycle is poised to bring a significant transition for India, Gill has opened up about the pressure of the task. The new captain informed that the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and the chief of the selection panel, Ajit Agarkar, have kept things simple for Gill.

Shubman Gill opens up about the expectations and pressure before taking India's charge on the England Tour

To lead India in the longer format of the game is a huge achievement. The achievement, however, comes with as big a responsibility. The hype around the upcoming India vs England Test series is remarkable. The England tour will mark India's first Test outing since the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Moreover, the series will stage the first look of the Indian team under a new leader. Naturally, the stakes for this relatively raw team are high as they take on England in their backyard.

However, irrespective of the hype outside, the Indian camp has been kept relaxed, especially Shubman Gill. In a recent chat, the new captain talked about working with Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gill elapsed the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant to succeed Rohit Sharma as India's Test captain. However, the Indian head coach and the BCCI selection chief, Ajit Agarkar, have ensured an ideal condition for the young captain to slide into his new role.

Talking about the expectations out of him, Shubman Gill informed that Gautam Gambhir and Agarkar have told him clearly that there are no expectations or pressure. The management wants Gill to express himself as a leader and take his calls. The batsman iterated that he has expectations out of himself as he gears up for the series, but the senior management has not levied any load on his shoulders.

"The expectations, I've had this conversation numerous times with Gauti bhai and Ajit bhai. They just want me to be able to express myself as a leader. That's what they've told me—'there are no expectations'. They are not expecting me to do something I am not capable of. In terms of that, I don't think that there are any expectations or pressure from them, but you definitely have some kind of expectations from yourself as a leader and a player. So those are the expectations that I have from myself but not from them," said Gill.

The captain, furthermore, opened up about his style of leading the camp. Results aside, Gill wants to inculcate a sense of security among the squad. Gill is keen on building a culture where every player feels secure and happy. Meanwhile, the squad is currently busy with the intra-squad match in Beckenham, the final dress rehearsal before the main Test series kicks off on June 20.

"Apart from all the silverware and trophies aside, I would ideally like to build a culture where everyone is very secure and happy. I know it can be a very difficult environment, especially with all the competition or the number of matches that we play and different squads coming in, but if I am able to do that, that would be my goal," said Gill.