So here it is, in simple words, Shubman Gill is the new Test captain and face of Indian cricket at the global stage. There was not a tinge of surprise when his name was announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Saturday. It may sound cliche, but the writing was on the wall when Rohit Sharma announced his retirement, and it was pretty clear that Jasprit Bumrah could not play five Tests on the trot.
Unlike some of the previous captains, Shubman is a product of India’s rich hinterland. Farming background (unlike many the Gills were well-off), shifting pastures for better livelihood, driven by passion, pursuit of dream — a story of romance. The 25-year-old was born in a small and nondescript village called Chak Khere Wala in Fazilka district of Punjab, close to the India-Pakistan border. A small speck on the India map. Not anymore, though. As the lore of Shumban grew, so did the name of the village and Fazilka.
Shubman’s backroom story is connected with his father Lakhwinder Singh, who was obsessed with the game. He too wanted to be a cricketer but somehow could not. With his son, he could dream again. He was his first coach and taught him to bat at a very young age. Singh, along with the people who tended his farm, used to bowl hundreds of balls every day on a cement pitch prepared for his son in the front yard.
What started as a mission for Lakhwinder soon became Shubman’s life. They understood the need to move to a bigger city and that prompted them to shift to Mohali. Shubman was just seven then. The routine and the hours Shubman put in only increased, and it was not long before the lean teenager had marked his territory in age-group cricket. His appetite to bat, bat and bat meant Shubman broke several records and won the BCCI U-14 cricketer of the year in 2013-14. In that same season, Kohli - the then-anointed prince - had won the cricketer of the year, and there is a picture of a shy, young Shubman standing next to the former India captain.
There was no looking back as Shubman went on to win the 2018 U19 World Cup as a player, and soon he was in the senior India team. All the years of facing throwdowns on cement pitches came to the fore as Shubman’s 91 in the famous 2021 Gabba win against Australia in his debut series lifted his stature from a nervy youngster to the future of Indian cricket. He has had his share of ups and downs in the longest format, and is perhaps yet to seal a spot in T20Is, but in ODIs, Shubman is a beast and was appointed Rohit Sharma’s deputy earlier this year. Even in the IPL, Shubman has shown massive strides as Gujarat Titans captain in the ongoing season. Captaining a side is an art and Shubman is slowly making his mark in the artistry.
Even though his Test record, especially away, is not phenomenally impressive, the selectors have reposed faith in him. They know he will be there through the next decade and will take Indian cricket forward even if there are some ups and downs along the way. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said as much on Saturday. “I think over the last year or so, we’ve looked at Shubman at various times,” said Agarkar. “I think even when we played England last year. We take a lot of feedback, sometimes from the dressing room as well. He’s very young, but we’ve seen the improvement. And I know it’s T20 cricket for GT as well, but you take feedback from a lot of people, and we are hopeful that he’s the guy who can… (take us forward). It’s obviously going to be a high-pressure job, but we’re hopeful that we’ve picked the right guy. There’s no doubt it is going to be as tough as it gets leading a five-match series in England, and maybe you’ll have to learn on the job a little bit. But we are very confident with what he has to offer, and that’s the reason we’ve picked him. I think he’s a terrific player, and best wishes to him.”
There is a bit of history too. Gill, in fact, is the first male cricketer from united Punjab - before 1967-68, they were split into three teams; Southern Punjab, Eastern Punjab and Northern Punjab - to be honoured with captaining India in red-ball cricket.
Not since Lala Amarnath in the late 1940s and early 1950s, a male cricketer who plays for Punjab has become a Test captain. Several legends have been born in Punjab and gone on to bring many laurels for the country, including the late Bishen Singh Bedi. But Bedi became India captain long after he had moved to Delhi in the Ranji Trophy.
While there is no confirmation on whether he will walk out at No. 4, one thing is clear though, when Shubman walks onto the field at Leeds on June 20, wearing the India blazer, it will mark the beginning of a new chapter in Indian cricketing history.
