Shubman Gill’s first Test match as captaincy debut didn’t unfold as he might have envisioned, as India lost to England by five wickets in the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, Leeds. Gill came under some criticism for his management, particularly with regard to his fielding and tactics when decisions mattered.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar weighed in on Gill’s leadership, suggesting that the young captain’s field strategy leaned too much on the defensive side. “Most people felt Shubman Gill went too defensive. But I think he was trying to trap England by cutting off boundaries, hoping the wickets would come eventually,” Manjrekar explained during his analysis on JioHotstar following the match.

Manjrekar also compared Gill’s captaincy to that of Virat Kohli, India's most successful Test leader. “I hate to bring Virat Kohli as a comparison, as Shubman Gill is a young captain, but he would not have put such a defensive field. That's different from someone like Virat Kohli, who might say, We have enough runs; I'll get you all out before Tea. Whether he would have gotten wickets with an attacking field is not guaranteed, but he would have been at it,” he said.

‘Start With Attacking Intent, Then Go Defensive’

The former batter acknowledged that England’s bowling unit had more all-round options and depth but still felt India could have started more aggressively. “Gill doesn't have the same seam attack as England—though they don't have Bumrah—but the English team has more all-round options. Even with Jadeja, I felt India should've started with a standard field rather than pre-empting reverse sweeps,” he said.

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Still, Manjrekar was careful not to be too harsh on the young leader. “You want to start with attacking intent—even if only for a few overs—before going defensive. That said, I don't want to be overly critical of Shubman. He's a new captain, and we should be understanding of that,” he concluded.

Shubman Gill's Test captaincy debut didn't unfold the way he would have hoped, as India suffered a five-wicket defeat to England in the opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley on June 24. The match exposed several areas where India faltered, but it also brought attention to Gill's leadership style and on-field presence in his first outing as captain. While Gill exhibited instances of calm and composure, many viewers felt he lacked the decisive authority associated with his predecessors.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain shared his own views about Gill's leadership on Sky Sports, adding that the young captain appeared to be "finding his way" at the beginning of a new role. “I thought I saw someone just finding his way, honestly. You’ve got to be very careful in the first Test match; the people he’s (Gill) taken over from are Kohli and then Rohit Sharma. I thought he didn’t quite have that on-field aura as the names I mentioned there. You look down on those two previous names, and you immediately see who was in charge of India,” Hussain explained.

He also noted that it looked like there were multiple leaders on the field, with senior players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul seemingly guiding Gill during crucial moments. Hussain described it as "captaincy by committee," a common occurrence when a new leader is still finding his footing. “I looked down from the press box, the commentary position, there were a lot of captains; it was a bit captaincy by committee, which can happen in your early days as a leader because you’re still senior players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul want to try and help you out as much as possible. I thought he followed the ball a lot. I thought he was reactive as opposed to proactive,” he added.

Hussain critiques tactical oversight with Jadeja

Nasser also highlighted a specific moment involving Ravindra Jadeja that, in his view, reflected the gap in tactical sharpness. He pointed out that neither Gill nor any other senior member appeared to instruct Jadeja to use the rough patches on the pitch effectively—something that was heavily discussed in the commentary box. “A word with Jadeja, maybe as a young captain, to go to such an experienced spinner and go, you do know the rough is out there. Ravi Shastri and Mark Butcher are up there, going, show us where that ball is pitching, and it was pitching nowhere near the rough. Ravi was saying, a bit slow, a bit wide, bowl in the rough,” Hussain observed.

See Also: ENG vs IND: Three key reasons why India lost first Test match at Leeds, Headingley

surprise, he added, “I was surprised that not one of the senior players or captains went to Jadeja and said, ‘Can we go a little bit wider?’” But Ravi’s right, they lost the game for two things that he couldn’t control.” While Hussain acknowledged factors beyond Gill’s control contributed to the loss, his comments underline how leadership decisions—or the lack thereof—played a role in India’s defeat.

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC), a two-year-long cycle of test cricket, was introduced in 2019 to guarantee relevance to the deteriorating health of the format. Its purpose, moreover, was also to bring relevance to the bilateral test cricket series by offering points for every match won. With nine top teams competing against each other across six series, 3 home and 3 away, it bridged the gap between the big three (Australia, India, and England) and the rest of the full member nations. Its third tournament cycle recently came to a fitting culmination, where the top two teams of the term locked horns in a one-off title decider. South Africa defeated the defending champions, Australia, against all the odds, in an intriguing finale at the 'Home of Cricket', Lord's, London, United Kingdom.

Having entered the final as the underdogs, though finishing at first in the points table, the Proteas were against the grit and dogged might of the Aussies. For most parts of the match, the former were behind their opponent. Conceding a first innings lead of 74 runs and being set an uphill fourth innings target of 282 to chase by the Australians, the South African team displayed immense resolve, fight, determination, and character. Down and out with their backs against the wall, the side from the rainbow nation made a mockery of the target and crossed the finishing line at last. This finally ended their 27-year wait for a senior men's ICC title, having been on the other side since 1998, while enduring profound grief, pain, silence, and unimaginable heartbreaks. Their elegant opener, Aiden Markram, produced a scintillating, player-of-the-match performance of 136 runs and anchored the chase with great support from his fellow batters.

At the heart of winning championships is usually the skipper of a team, who not only leads his/her troops from the front but also walks the talk in setting up visionary goals, and creating a conducive and inclusive culture for all. Besides his primary role of batting or bowling, a captain has to be accountable for the whole group and is the face of the team. In this context, the victorious Proteas skipper, Temba Bavuma, brings with him inspirational tales from his cricketing journey so far. Having battled racism, body-shaming, and doubters, he shut them all down with his leadership wits and batting prowess. Producing a masterclass in captaincy in this WTC cycle, Temba chartered his legacy and eventually became the owner of a few records as well. However, it is not just about him, but rather captains in general and then the top five of them in the 2023-25 period (in an array of win percentages). 

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Temba Bavuma

The 35-year-old test skipper of the South African team is inarguably the most successful captain in the 2023-25 cycle. The newly crowned WTC winners have had a terrific and memorable run under him. He led them to their elusive ICC title, ending a 27-year wait for a major trophy. In this period, Bavuma led his nation in eight matches, winning an astonishing seven and drawing the remaining one against the West Indies. His unbeaten record was a testament to the Proteas side lifting the Test Mace at Lord's. Moreover, he has been on a roll, claiming the most wins (9) in the first ten tests as captain. His clinical captaincy duties complemented his batting, too, as he finished the cycle with the second-best average (59.25 in 13 innings). Temba remained unbroken, unconquered, and undefeated this term. 

Pat Cummins

The Australian captain finished this WTC cycle with nine wins in sixteen matches. This included a memorable Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series 2024-25 win over India, played down under. The 32-year-old's formidable Aussie side entered the 2023-25 final against South Africa not only as the second-placed team in the points tally, but also as the defending champions. In June 2023, they had defeated India in the final at the Oval, London. Pat's captaincy has always been path-breaking. Being a fast bowler skipper is not everyone's cup of tea, but Cummins took 80 wickets in this phase, the most by any player. 

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes, the captain of the English red-ball team and one of the greatest all-rounders in the game of cricket, is at the helm of the format. Quite vocal about it, he has been a driving force towards its sustainability, like a true servant. The legendary player is proving to be one of the most dominating skippers for his national side. England usually plays the maximum number of tests among all the teams. In the 2023-25 WTC cycle, Stokes led the 'Three Lions' to nine victories in seventeen test matches but lost seven of them as well. Under him, England were part of some spine-tingling and thrilling wins. They won series in Pakistan and New Zealand. Despite initially trailing 0-2 at home, his side came back to level the Ashes series against their arch-rivals, Australia, in a sensational fashion in 2023. England finished fifth in the points table and failed to occupy either of the top two spots available for the third term in a row. 

Dhananjaya De Silva

Sri Lanka's fantastic captain brought his island nation ever closer to entering the WTC final, the first time in its three editions. The batting all-rounder, who bowls off-spin, led his proud cricketing nation in twelve test matches. Under him, the Lankans secured victory in six games. The turnaround started with a comprehensive home series win against New Zealand, where they outclassed their opponent in every way. This put them in a serious contention for the final, but their stakes diminished substantially after they suffered massive home losses to Australia in a two-match rubber. Sri Lanka had to eventually content themselves with a sixth place in the teams' ranking for the 2023-25 period. 

Rohit Sharma 

Rohit Sharma's Indian test cricket team had a topsy-turvy ride in the 2023-25 WTC cycle. Coming into this one as the losing finalists on two successive occasions, the pressure was on the captain and his squad to finally deliver this term. They were in contention for a place in the final, their third on the trot, until late 2024. However, a historic home series drubbing at the hands of New Zealand seriously dented their hopes. That Kiwi whitewash left India on unprecedented grounds and required them to win at least four matches in Australia. The task proved to be daunting, and the Indians were unable to record that many wins. They lost the series 3-1 and eventually gave up on the final spot for June 2025. Under Rohit, India won eight out of the seventeen tests they played in this period and finished third on the points table. 

Shreyas Iyer has also emerged as one of India's best performers this year, providing consistent performances both overseas and in the IPL. The elegant right-hander from Mumbai was in top form in the ICC Champions Trophy that was played a few months ago, where he finished as India's top scorer in the tournament. Iyer took the momentum into the season of IPL 2025 as well, playing a crucial role for Punjab Kings and proving himself across all formats.

During the just concluded IPL, Iyer accumulated an impressive 604 runs in 17 matches and took Punjab Kings to their first IPL final in more than a decade. Though they fell short of winning the championship, Iyer's captaincy as well as batting effort was widely appreciated. His leadership and consistency have now put him in the limelight, and there are strong indications that he has entered the fray to become India's next white-ball captain.

As per a June 7 report by Indian Express, a top Indian cricket official confirmed that Iyer's name is in contention. "Right now he just plays ODIs, but after this IPL we can’t keep him out of T20 internationals and even Tests," the report quoted. His leadership qualities, along with his run-scoring talent, make him an interesting candidate in the post-Kohli and post-Rohit era.

A leadership contender in transition

In spite of his robust IPL credentials, Iyer has not yet captained the Indian senior team in any format. He won an IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and also guided Punjab Kings to the final this year—acts that have cemented his reputation as a born leader. He was still surprisingly omitted from India's Test squad for the coming series against England, however, in light of the retirement of senior pillars.

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Having recently switched allegiance to SoBo Mumbai Falcons in T20 Mumbai 2025, Iyer's next task with the national side will arise in August when India visit Bangladesh to play three ODIs and three T20Is. With selectors eager to rebuild and reshuffle captaincy choices, Iyer's increasing profile makes him a strong favorite to lead India's white-ball future.

Shubman Gill, who is going to captain Team India in the coming series against England, recently opened up about his leadership style. Talking a day before the highly anticipated tour, Gill said that he doesn't have a specific style as it keeps evolving. "I don't have a particular style in mind. You play and you keep developing these things," he explained, emphasizing the importance of adaptive leadership. His philosophy is centered on establishing rapport with players and having them feel secure and confident within the team setup.

Communication will be a major factor in his strategy, states Gill. "I like to talk to the players. I would try to make them comfortable with their strengths and weaknesses. The players should feel secure; then only will they perform well," he said. Gill wants to instill a positive culture in which players feel comfortable taking the initiative or claiming performances for themselves. Trust and belonging will be central to him getting the best out of his players.

The young skipper also emphasized the need to be tactically alert against a physical England team. "If we are going proactive with our plans, it would put them under pressure," he said. Instead of believing in numbers, Gill is more concerned with establishing the tone by intent and clarity of thought. His focus on mindset and preparation speaks volumes about how he will lead, inspired by confidence, flexibility, and learning.

A Calm, Communication-Based Leadership Vision

Gill's utterances reflect an advanced realization of what leadership in global cricket is about. Rather than strict strategies, Gill holds a place for fluidity and emotional quotient — precious but essential qualities for one entering giants' shoes abandoned by icons like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

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While he acknowledges the massive void left by the two icons, Gill is clear that pressure is part of the job. “We’re all used to that by now,” he said, showing no signs of being daunted. For Gill, this tour is not just about performances but about laying the foundation for a new leadership era. came with authority.

Shreyas Iyer has carved a remarkable legacy as a captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL), leading teams to significant milestones over the years. His tactical acumen and leadership have made him a standout figure in the tournament’s history.

Playoffs After 7 Long Seasons with Delhi Capitals (2019)

In 2019, Iyer was appointed captain of Delhi Capitals (DC) and strictly injured the mediocrity that the franchise endured over the last 7 years, as it did not prepare for playoffs in those past years. Under Iyer’s leadership, DC reached the playoffs and made the team finish 3rd in the league stage with 18 points from 14 matches. His rookie status, his calmness, and his motivation were immeasurable in overcoming a long history of mediocrity. 

First-Ever Final in 13 Seasons with Delhi Capitals (2020)

Iyer's captaincy reached its peak in 2020 when he led Delhi Capitals to their first IPL final in the franchise's history that spanned 13 years. DC presented incredible consistency as they finished second in the league stage with 16 points. Iyer's tactics, such as supporting young guns like Prithvi Shaw and using veterans like Kagiso Rabada to best effect, took the team to the final. While they lost to Mumbai Indians, Iyer's captaincy had established DC as a strong unit.

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Title Glory After 10 Seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders (2024)

In 2024, Iyer captained Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title and the franchise's first in 10 seasons. KKR was dominant all year and ranked first in the points table before beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final. Iyer combined a hyper-aggressive style of captaincy with the team management of a star-studded team with Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. 

Final After 11 Seasons with Punjab Kings (2025)

Iyer's most recent achievement was guiding Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL final in 2025 after 11 seasons. Even during this time, PBKS was never able to put it all together as a consistently performing team. Iyer brought that level of stability to the franchise and took them to the final with the help of outstanding performances by players like Arshdeep Singh. Despite falling short of the title in 2025, Iyer's mark at PBKS was impressive and further expanded his already illustrious tenure as a captain in the IPL.

Shreyas Iyer has become the catalyst for Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) incredible comeback in IPL 2025. Ahead of their clash against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 at Narendra Modi Stadium on June 1, fans and experts alike have applauded Iyer’s composed but commanding leadership. The 30-year-old, a Champions Trophy winner, has taught a side that had not reached the playoffs in 10 seasons discipline and belief in themselves. His batting performances and heady decision-making have played a significant role in what has been the best season for PBKS in ages.

In a recently aired Star Sports video, several of PBKS’s young players recalled Iyer’s leadership and how he has cultivated a winning environment for the franchise. Leading wicket-taker Arshdeep Singh revealed how Iyer gives his team complete backing and lets them play without any baggage. “I’ve played under Iyer in the Duleep Trophy, and he was a great leader. He doesn’t give strict instructions; he just tells us to trust ourselves and what we are capable of. He creates a very selfless team environment, and that is why we all want to give our best for him.” Arshdeep’s sentiments were echoed by other young stars, emphasizing the unifying effect Iyer has had on the squad.

Prabhsimran Singh, who opened the batting alongside Iyer, also spoke about the instincts and fearlessness of the Skipper. “He talks about trusting your instincts all the time. If you have to second-guess a shot, don't hit it. But if you are confident, then go for it," Prabhsimran said. “He is batting like a world number one - clean hitting, smart decisions, and match-finishing innings. He gets us to play with freedom and clarity." The message from the PBKS young core definitively notes Shreyas Iyer's captaincy has changed their perspective. 

Shreyas Iyer on the verge of making IPL history

In the last IPL season, Shreyas Iyer led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title, demonstrating he is made of captaincy steel, and now leading PBKS, he is on the brink of making history. A win in IPL 2025 will make Iyer the third captain to win two consecutive IPL titles and the only captain to do so with two franchises, marking him a bona fide leader in IPL history.

Watch the video here

The PBKS squad throws full support behind skipper #ShreyasIyer as they gear up for a high-stakes clash against MI, with a spot in the final vs RCB on the line 🤯

Will PBKS lift their first IPL trophy under Iyer’s leadership? 🤔#IPLPlayoffs 👉 QUALIFIER 2 | #PBKSvMI | SUN, 1st… pic.twitter.com/9KWFOwQUs6

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 1, 2025

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Iyer has had players rallying and believing in one another in a way we have never witnessed before. His strategic acumen and fearless batting have not only earned him the trust of PBKS players but also the adoration of fans, who see him as the driving force behind the team’s remarkable turnaround this season.