Shubman Gill’s historic start to his Test captaincy may have injected fresh optimism into Indian cricket, but Sourav Ganguly believes the challenges are only beginning.
The former India captain, celebrating his 53rd birthday on Tuesday, reflected on the young skipper’s dazzling performances and issued a reminder that the pressure of leadership will only grow from here.
“This is the best I’ve seen him bat and I’m not surprised,” Ganguly said at Eden Gardens while speaking to reporters during his birthday celebration. Gill, in his debut series as captain, has already piled up 585 runs at a staggering average of 146.25, including three centuries, one of which was a double ton, across the two Tests so far.
India’s emphatic 336-run victory at Edgbaston not only levelled the five-match series 1-1 but also saw Gill surpass personal milestones. His 269 and 161 in Birmingham helped him register the highest match aggregate by an Indian batter, and he’s now just 18 runs away from overtaking Rahul Dravid’s 602-run tally from the 2002 England tour, the most by an Indian in a Test series on English soil.
Yet, as remarkable as Gill’s performances have been, Ganguly warned that the path ahead is unlikely to be smooth. “He has just become captain, it’s a honeymoon period. But there would be more pressure with time. The pressure will build in the next three Tests,” he said.
Gill’s extraordinary run has even brought Don Bradman’s 88-year-old record into sight. The Australian great scored 810 runs in the 1936-37 Ashes as captain. Gill, currently 225 runs short of that figure, has three more Tests to rewrite history.
Ganguly on talent in Indian cricket
While India’s new generation has stepped up admirably in the absence of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, Ganguly emphasised the cyclical strength of Indian cricket.
“There is so much talent in Indian cricket. In every generation you will find players,” he said. “After the great Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble came and then Kohli, now Gill, Jaiswal, Akash Deep, Mukesh, Siraj… just see the abundance of talent. In every generation, whenever there’s a void, they will come and fill it. I’ve always said that.”
Despite the commanding win in Birmingham, Ganguly reminded that the series is far from over.
“It’s just one-all. There’s still a lot to play for with three matches to go. India played well, and have been playing well. But again, you have to start from scratch in the next match (at Lord’s).”