India Test captain Gill ready to lead in his own way

(Reuters): India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill knows he has big shoes to fill after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli but he wants to develop his own style of leadership, he said on Thursday.

Rohit and Kohli, former skippers and batting mainstays of the team, both quit Test cricket weeks before the start of India’s five-Test series in England.

Gill, 25, impressed as captain of Indian Premier League (IPL) side Gujarat Titans, leading them to the playoffs.

“The pressure comes with every tour. The two big players have served us for so long, it is not easy to fill that space,” Gill told a news conference in Mumbai.

“My style of captaincy will be my own, it will develop with experience. I like to communicate with the players. I would try to get them comfortable with their strengths and weaknesses. The players should feel secure, only then will they perform well.”

Gill was picked as captain ahead of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who led India in two recent Tests in Australia.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited workload management concerns over the 31-year-old Bumrah who will not play all five Tests in England.

“We haven’t taken the call over which three games (Bumrah is) going to play,” India head coach Gautam Gambhir said. “We are going to have a discussion with him and a lot will depend on the results of the series as well, where the series is heading.”

At least 11 people died and 47 were injured on Wednesday in a crowd surge outside IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home stadium during celebrations of their maiden title.

“My heart goes out to the people who lost their lives,” Gambhir said. “We are all equally responsible for this. Every life matters. If we are not ready to hold a road show, we should not do that.”