Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has said that he recognised Shubman Gill’s captaincy potential early in his career and that the youthful skipper possesses insight beyond his years. Gill recently assumed leadership of the Test team after Rohit Sharma retired from the longest format in May.
Williamson and Gill shared the Gujarat Titans (GT) dressing room during the Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons of 2023 and 2024. The Punjab batsman has been the Titans’ captain since 2024. Gujarat qualified for the tournament this year under his captaincy.
“He answered nicely, hasn’t he? I’ve always thought Shubman Gill was suited to captaincy.
I understand that what happens in the franchise space is slightly different; it’s a shorter project than captaining your country, which is far more time-consuming. “I’ve been watching Shubman operate, and he’s wise beyond his years, so that responsibility is something he’d naturally want to take on,” Williamson told the Times of India.
Williamson hailed Gil as a world-class batter and he stated that the experience he is getting during the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will stand him in good stead for the future.
“So hearing him get that opportunity was no surprise to me but the quality of the player is something that goes without saying. He’s absolutely world-class To see him come over here and conditions that can be challenging with the Dukes from time to time, and dominate like he has, it’s been amazing. There are going to be really valuable lessons for him and we’re looking towards the leader that he will become but it’s still early days,” he added.
Shubman hasn’t had the best of starts as a Test captain as India are trailing the five-match series against England 1-2. However, the Firozpur-born has done magnificently as a batter, having amassed 607 runs from six innings at an average of 101.17. He is the leading run-getter in the series by a distance.
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