With two Tests to go, India trailing 1-2, Indian coach Gautam Gambhir had an important conversation with his young captain Shubman Gill. He told him that in case the team holds its own for the next two Tests, the transition would be over for him.
India would draw one and win the next, the series would finish 2-2. Gill would finish as the highest run-getter, there would be 18 hundreds and one double ton. In the two Tests that India won, their long-time pace spearhead and World No.1 Jasprit Bumrah was rested.
Facts, figures and feats of incredible resilience would show that India, as was expected, didn’t miss their just-retired batting giants Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Even Bumrah, prone to breakdowns because of the heavy workload, could take planned rest once in a while, since Mohammed Siraj could be the chief wicket-keeper and an able leader of the bowling attack.
GG x SG 🤗
𝙔𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙮𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙪𝙧 𝙠𝙞 𝙨𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙪𝙖𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙞! 🫂#SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @ShubmanGill @GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/QtDG5eagcH
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 4, 2025
India has won Test series in England in the past, but this drawn contest is of far more significance. England was the high hurdle that was placed in front of the 25-year-old captain in his debut series. He and his merry men have gone flying over it. India now play a series of Tests at home, an easier assignment usually in known conditions, though they did get whitewashed last time they played, with New Zealand. The next time Gill & Co fly out of the country for a Test series will be next year — Sri Lanka in August and New Zealand in December.
The way Gill’s team fought every Test that went to five days, two global worries were settled — with Indians keen to play Test, the classic format will survive, and those who advocate four-day Tests citing diminishing attention of the middle-aged demographic should stick to watching T20. All 25-days of this engrossing series saw packed stands.
On this England tour, Gill showed that he could be both Kohli and Sharma. He was an able leader and also the team’s leading run-scorer. “I was under a bit of pressure, not being able to perform, especially in this format, how I wanted to,” said the scorer of four hundreds that had a different impact on each game.
His first Test ton set the tone, in the second he won the game, in the fourth he saved.
Yeh #NayaIndia hain, ye haar kar, phir jeetna jaanta hai 💙
Mohammed Siraj lands the winning blow to script a historic victory at The Oval 🔥#SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @mdsirajofficial pic.twitter.com/rmoemQV7e0
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 4, 2025
His runs made him a confident captain and that was audible from his tone at the end of the series. “I have more clarity where personally I need to work on as a captain …,” he said.
Gill was also taunting those who have questioned his selection calls, criticising him for not including specialist bowlers and backing all-rounders.
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“There would always be opinions and, in hindsight, could have done this, could have done that. But I think what matters for me is… in that moment… When your decision goes well, people obviously praise you. When it doesn’t go well, I’m aware that there are going to be shots taken at me… I’m fine, because at the end of the day, I know that I made a decision which was the best for our team,” he said.
This tour also showed the shaping of a healthy relationship between the captain and coaching staff. Gill said that before the tour, Gambhir had a chat with the team, where he told them that the world may be calling them a “young team” but, for him, they were a “gun team”. The captain would say that at The Oval today, they saw the “gun team”.
During the Australia tour, as reported by The Indian Express, Gambhir had a hard talk with the team that had Kohli and Sharma. “Enough is enough, now I will run the team that I wanted,” he had said. Now, with the new captain well and truly settled, this is a new beginning for Indian cricket.
This has been a series where tough selection calls had to be taken. It is learnt that both Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar would give the young captain options and allow him to take his call. There were hardly any interventions during the game, extras wouldn’t be rushing in water bottles or gloves.
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It is learnt that Gambhir believes that the only way a captain learns is by making mistakes. The calls to stay with all-rounder Washington Sundar or to give Karun Nair another chance were both taken by Gill, and they worked.
Captain Gill, Ladies & Gentlemen 👏
#SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/Bl7TVKE4cE— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 4, 2025
Gill has also managed the team well. An overly courteous captain who refers to reporters as “Sir” when answering their question, he has given due respect to the team’s seniors, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and K L Rahul. He “rules by committee”, former England captain Naseer Hussain would observe earlier in the series when watching Bumrah having a word with him, Jadeja advising Washington and Rahul walking up to him to change the field that he had set.
With the rest, like his contemporaries like Siraj, he is still one of the boys, but there is mutual respect. Siraj would constantly question his plans, but later say that they go back a long way and have great understanding. And Gill would say that even if he hadn’t done what he did today, the dressing room saw Siraj as a star, the team’s game-changer.
