One of the reasons Indian cricket fans were a little worried ahead of the five-Test India vs England series was that the Indian team would be going for what is a tough overseas tour with a brand new Test captain at the helm.
It is is fair to say that Gill has done a good job so far in his nascent captaincy career, but he has been given some interesting advice by former India head coach Gary Kirsten on how it is he can improve as a leader.
Kirsten pointed out a trait that former India captain MS Dhoni had which Gill needs to make his own.
Praise and Advice For Gill
Kirsten also made sure to praise Gill as a ‘great thinker’ and good player but said there is one thing above all he will need to get right – man management.
“Well, it’s early days. I think he’s got great potential. Captaincy is a whole lot of things that you’ve got to put together. He’s a great thinker in the game. He’s a good player himself. But there’s a whole bunch of things you’ve got to get right. And I think man management is going to play, like any leader,” Kirsten told Rediff.
“Dhoni was an incredible man-manager. If he can get that component of his leadership really fired up, I think he has all the credentials to become a great captain for India.”
Dhoni’s excellent man management and leadership saw him become the first Indian captain to win all three ICC white-ball tournaments, and would therefore be a good example to follow.
Gill’s Time At The Helm So Far
So far Gill has won just the one Test match but that was also a historic one – he helped record India’s first-ever Test win at Edgbaston in Birmingham, which was a venue they had never managed to win at prior to 2025.
It also has not affected his batting, as evidenced by the three centuries he has scored so far in the course of the series.
However, he will also do well to learn faster on the job because India’s failure to make it to the WTC Final in 2025 has increased the pressure on the team to do well in the longest format of the game.