Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik and India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview on Sky Sports to talk about the upcoming England Test tour. As Gill prepares to lead India for the first time in the longest format, his primary focus appears to be on setting a fresh vision for the team.
When Karthik asked about the broader vision Gill sees for the side, the 25-year-old skipper shared his desire to establish a supportive team environment. Gill said: “Apart from all the, I think, silverware and all the trophies aside, I would, I really would like to build a culture where everyone is very secure and happy. And I know it’s a very, it can be a very difficult environment, especially with all the competition and all the number of matches that we play, different squads coming in. But if I’m able to do that, I think that would be my goal.”
Karthik also asked Gill about his family’s reaction after being named India’s next Test captain. Gill responded with honesty and humility: “Honestly, DK bhai, I don’t even think like he dreamt of me being the Indian test captain, like even myself as well. All I remember when I was young, when I was a kid, I just wanted to play for India and I wanted to perform for India and wanted to win matches. It was like not even in my dreams, I thought I wanted to be the captain of the Indian cricket team. All my dream was to be able to represent India and perform and win matches for India.”
“I don’t think from them there are any expectations or there is any pressure.” – Gill
Gill revealed that his father called him after the news became official, though he had known about the appointment a little earlier. “So yeah, he called me when the news broke out, I think a couple of days before. But I knew sometime before, but I didn’t take it to him because I was like, when it’s official, I’ll tell him then. But we had a very heartfelt conversation once he got to know that I’ve been named the captain,” he added.
The conversation then shifted to the discussions Gill had with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and new head coach Gautam Gambhir regarding his leadership role. When asked about expectations, Gill said: “The expectations, I mean, I’ve had this conversation, I think, numerous times with Gautam and Ajit. They just want me to be able to express myself as a leader. And there are, I mean, that’s what they have told me. There are no expectations. They are not expecting me to do something that I’m not capable of. So in terms of that, I don’t think from them there are any expectations or there is any pressure. But you definitely have some kind of expectations from yourself as a leader and as a player. So those are the expectations that I have from myself, but it’s not so much from them.”
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