Veteran spinner R Ashwin feels that Shubman Gill was handed the Test captaincy of Team India too early. He suggested that Gill would have benefited from more time being mentored under another leader before taking on the role. Gill stepped into the captaincy after Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket in May 2025.
The team management named the 25-year-old as the new skipper, with Rishabh Pant serving as vice-captain. Sharing his thoughts on the development, Ashwin spoke on his YouTube show Ash ki Baat(24:10):
“When the news of Shubman Gill being appointed as the captain came, I had said that some other guys should also have been considered. I still stand by it because Shubman could have been groomed under someone for a year or two.”
Nevertheless, Ashwin expressed admiration for Gill’s early efforts as skipper. He remarked that although Gill doesn’t have much background in leadership, the right-hander has proven he can rise to the occasion when given accountability.
“The way Shubman Gill has taken to captaincy is like a duck to water. It’s been something else. He didn’t even captain in U19; Prithvi Shaw was the captain. He is not used to captaincy. Gujarat Titans was his first big stint as a captain.”
“After all that, he showed that as a captain, he can get into the series by scoring runs. He scored in the first two Tests, and then, after a setback, even when there was some pressure, he came and hit an amazing hundred,” he added (at 24:25).
“Big positive for me” – Ashwin lauds Gill’s captaincy in ENG vs IND 2025
R Ashwin highlighted that Shubman Gill has managed to maintain his batting form despite the added responsibility of captaincy. He praised the Indian leader for his crucial 103-run innings in the second innings of the recently drawn fourth Test. Calling Gill’s efforts a “big positive,” Ashwin remarked (at 25:00):
“After being on a leather hunt for 600 runs, to come out and make a hundred, it is a testament to his quality and fitness. It also shows that this particular leader can keep captaincy away from his batting, without allowing it to disturb his head. So, all in all, it’s a huge tick mark for me. It’s a great start.”
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