"Throw you into..."- Gautam Gambhir leaks secret conversation with Shubman Gill while appointing him as India's Test captain

subhradeep-choudhury — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 15:43:08 GMT

Gautam Gambhir leaks secret conversation with Shubman Gill during Test captaincy appointment.

When Rohit Sharma decided to retire from Test matches, followed by Virat Kohli in a span of one week during the IPL 2025, there was concern about who would become the new Test captain of the Indian side as they prepared themselves for the upcoming five-match Test series against England in the United Kingdom. But the selectors decided to go with Shubman Gill.

The national side’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has leaked the secret conversation he had with Shubman Gill before giving him the responsibilities. The Punjab-born grabbed the chance well and smashed four centuries in seven weeks to end the series by a 2-2 margin, a result many didn’t expect by the start of the trip.

“I will remember the conversation with Gill. Picking a 25-year-old kid as the captain, I told him we have thrown you into the deep sea. I said you will either drown or become the best swimmer. How a 25-year-old kid handled the team, captaincy, and pressure against an England side was the most difficult test over a span of two months.” Gambhir expressed during the ongoing IND vs WI Test in Delhi.

Gautam Gambhir reveals discussion with Shubman Gill during his captaincy appointment

Gill has continued the same form from the UK tour and smashed a fifty in the opening clash in Ahmedabad against the West Indies and celebrated an unbeaten century in the second game in Delhi. He recently got the 50-over captaincy, replacing Rohit Sharma.

“The way England’s batting was and our inexperience, he has passed his most difficult test. The transition is over, and things will become much easier for him. The criticism that some people have said about him is unfair. You pick players on potential. If you expect an individual to have 50+ everywhere, it takes time to achieve that.” Gill addressed on Star Sports.

After the ODI series against Australia, Gill will be back for the home Test series against South Africa in November. These games would be vital for their qualification to the final of the WTC 2025-27, which they missed in the previous season.