Skipper Shubman Gill opens up on leadership challenges and fatigue

Indian Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill on Thursday spoke emphatically about wanting to win more for India as well as play all three formats of cricket. On the eve of the second Test against the West Indies, to be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Gill spoke on his own hunger and how winning ICC titles for India is his dream.

The way life has raced by for Gill in the last few months has been crazy. Yet, the young captain has embraced leadership head-on. In England, not only did Gill score runs, he showed spunk and spine in taking the fight to the rival camp. India drew the Test series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2.

Given the tame side which the West Indies is today, it is not Gill’s fault there is no character in the side from the Caribbeans. It is important, in the ongoing Test cycle, India does well. There have been sweeping changes since the time India lost the Border Gavaskar Trophy Test series in Australia. Gill has taken up the challenge well, and knows the focus will be as much on him as Team India. Opening up on captaincy in the ODI format, where Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma, he spoke of how it will be challenging. At the same time, he showed respect to ‘Rohit bhai.’

Gill said he had learnt a lot from his previous skipper, notably in temperament and staying cool. Not flinching, the star captain showered praise on both the veteran players, Rohit and Virat Kohli. It was apt, Gill took their name in the same breath since the chatter has been about how the two players “need to retire” from ODIs, the only format they are now left with in cricket.

Gill spoke of their enormous contributions and how the two, described as RoKo still have a lot to offer Indian cricket. The question being answered was in reference to the ODI World Cup to be held in 2027. Both Rohit and Kohli will be ‘old’ but Gill looks at them as ‘experienced’ players. So, the onus is now on the selectors and the BCCI think-tank.

For those who wonder where Gill stands in Indian cricket, he wants to stay fit and play all three formats. He was part of the T20 team as well, as deputy to Suryakumar Yadav, in the Asia Cup, where India emerged winners. Not too many players are there competing in all formats, Tests, ODIs and T20., but Gill is hoping he can shoulder the load. The sheer volume of cricket played is high, what with the Indian Premier League (IPL) also an important programme in the cricket calendar.

So, what is the biggest challenge for Shubman Gill? “Physically most of the time I feel fine, but sometimes there is mental fatigue because when you are constantly playing," Gill told reporters. "There is obviously a certain expectation that I have from myself."