Shubman Gill, the batter, since becoming the captain of the Indian side, has scored three centuries from three Test matches against England in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. However, the captaincy side of things is still a work in progress. Former World Cup-winning coach with India, Gary Kirsten, gave his take on Gill.
“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 said in an interview with Rediff.
Kirsten, alongside MS Dhoni, helped India to win the 50-over World Cup after 28 years in 2011. Kirsten suggested the trait Gill could pick up from Dhoni. “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.”
Gautam Gambhir is tough
The other player with whom Kirsten closely worked during the 2011 World Cup was current Indian coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir’s tenure as coach, especially in red-ball cricket, has not been ideal. With him at the helm, India saw a 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand and also lost 3-1 to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Giving his take on Gambhir, Kirsten said, “Well, I don’t know Gautam, the coach, at all.” Kirsten also gave insights into Gambhir’s personality. “Gautam, the player, I absolutely loved. He’s got a toughness to him that is very useful. I think he’s really strong. But he’s got a personality and he’s got a style. The big thing is does that personality and style connect with Indian players? That’s really what it’s going to be about.”
Gambhir has won the Indian Premier League title with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 as a mentor. “He’s had success in the IPL. I remember when we split the one-day team and the Test team and we made him the one-day captain against New Zealand before coming to South Africa. And he did a fantastic job,” Kirsten recalled. “I don’t know enough about how it’s going or how he’s going with the players. But all I do know is that he’s got incredible skill in the game of cricket.”
“I’m thoroughly fond of Gautam and I just hope that he’s getting the support he needs and that the players are starting to, if not already, kind of warm to him and understand how he wants to operate and whether he can add value to the team,” Kirsten concluded.
