India’s newly appointed Test captain, Shubman Gill, has made it clear that he is stepping into the leadership role with full freedom and zero external pressure ahead of the five-match Test series against England, starting on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds.
Despite being handed one of the most prestigious and tough jobs in the cricket world, the 25-year-old star batter has revealed that neither the BCCI, head coach Gautam Gambhir, nor chief selector Ajit Agarkar has burdened him with lofty expectations with the role.
Gill, who led Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2025 Playoffs recently, is still new to captaincy at the highest level. While the Punjab lad has shown promise in the IPL, he doesn’t have any leadership experience in red-ball cricket. But the young skipper isn’t rattled.
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Instead, the right-handed batter is embracing the opportunity with clarity and composure. Even though the BCCI, coaches, and selectors have kept the expectations low, Gill has set personal goals. Gill is aware of the weight that comes with India’s Test captaincy, so he is more focused on self-improvement and creating a positive impact as a leader in the team.
There are no expectations from Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar: Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill told Dinesh Karthik in a candid chat for Sky Sports, “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.”
Shubman Gill discusses his aspirations as India's new Test captain ?️??Watch the full interview on the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel now! ? pic.twitter.com/BNXs0WRuMu
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 15, 2025Read Also: Gary Kirsten finally exposes PCB's politics after quitting as Pakistan’s white-ball coach
Shubman Gill aims to build his own leadership path
With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin retired from Test cricket, Shubman Gill faces a big challenge in England, where India hasn’t won a Test series since 2007. But the young captain isn’t letting the pressure get to him ahead of the Test series.
The right-handed batter will have the support of senior players like Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja, and is now eager to start this new chapter on the right note. Gill is not looking at just winning trophies, but his goal is to build a team culture where players feel secure, motivated, and happy.
Gill signed off by saying, “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.”
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