BCCI has made Shubman Gill the captain in place of Rohit Sharma in ODIs. After which the team’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has given a befitting reply to those criticizing Gill. Gambhir has said that as long as Gill does his job properly, we will continue to support him.
Gambhir said, ‘After being appointed as captain in Test cricket, Gill had to face severe criticism, but he remained patient. Later, he silenced the critics.’ It is noteworthy that the five-match Test series against England was drawn. Gambhir praised Gill on this issue.
Gambhir further said, ‘I remember the conversation with Gill. While handing over the captaincy to the 25-year-old, I said that we are throwing you into the deep sea. You have two paths from here, one- you will drown or two- you will become a world-class swimmer. For me, it is not important that you scored 750 runs, it is more important that a 25-year-old man balances the team and the pressure in his first Test series as captain.’
Talking about the England-India Test series, Gambhir said, ‘It was the toughest test of Gill’s career. He may have been captain for 15 years, but the two-month England tour was more challenging. England’s batting unit was dangerous and ours was inexperienced. Shubman handled the pressure, then I told him that now he has passed that test. The time for change is over, everything will be easier from now on.’
Gambhir further said, ‘Gill has suffered a lot, people have made a lot of criticism and comments about him. “Even though there was pressure on the support staff and the team during the England tour, not a single look of disappointment or stress was seen on Gill’s face in those 25 days. He led the team with a smile, he deserves success. I just want to see what he will do when the situation is not favorable and bad times come? I always support Gill, I am ready to bear criticism too.”
