‘Captaincy will enhance Gill’s performance’

Former Indian cricket team batting coach Vikram Rathour believes captaincy will bring out the best in Shubman Gill.

After Gill led India to a 4-1 T20I series win against Zimbabwe, Rathour praised his performance and body language. The BCCI recently appointed Gill as the vice-captain for the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, a move Rathour supports.

“Whatever I have seen of him, be it for the Gujarat Titans or in Zimbabwe, he did a good job. He has shown terrific body language, which is a must if you are leading a side. Now with the vice-captaincy, the BCCI has given him extra responsibility, and I am sure he will thrive in this role,” Rathour was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Rathour, who was batting coach of India from 2019 to 2024, compared Gill’s potential growth in leadership to that of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

“I feel captaincy brought the best out of Virat and Rohit, and I feel it will do the same for Shubman. Although he is not yet the captain, being in the leadership group will bring the best out of him as well,” Rathour said.

“This is something I am very sure of. When you are in that role, leading others, it gives you that extra bit of responsibility, which is good and I think is great for a young kid like Shubman, who one day might lead India in all three formats.”

Rathour has worked with Gill over the past five years and admires his game awareness and ability to handle different situations, recognizing his special talent from the start.

“When I first saw him in the nets, my first impression was like everybody else’s. I saw exactly what a lot of people were talking about and spoke about his special talent. When the first time I saw him playing, the immediate thought that went into my mind was, ‘Whoa, this kid is extremely talented’.

“What impressed me the most was his game awareness, which is something you don’t generally see in the young cricketers who are coming through the ranks. He knew his game; he understood how he needs to bat in different situations and never shied away from challenges,” he added.