‘Leadership sits really well with him’ – Ricky Ponting opens up on India’s Shubman Gill leadership change

Former Australia captain and icon Ricky Ponting has spoken out about Shubman Gill becoming India’s new Test captain, following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the longest version of the game. Ponting supported the move and understood why many opposed it, given that Jasprit Bumrah captained the side in Rohit’s absence during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25.

The Australian believed Bumrah’s ailments put him out of contention for captaincy. Ponting believed that appointing Gill as Indian Test captain was the appropriate option and hoped that the great player would have a fair chance in his new role.

“I honestly believe it’s the right decision. I know there are a lot of other people and pundits out there who don’t understand why it wasn’t Bumrah and why they went with Shubman, but I believe it’s very clear,” Ponting said in the ICC Review.

“Bumrah’s injuries have slowed him down in recent years, which is not ideal for a captain.” You can’t have a captain coming in and missing games, therefore I believe it’s the appropriate option. Now that they’ve made it, they need to stick with it and give him a fair shot for a long time,” Ponting added.

‘I think you’ll have a good captain who’ll make a lot of Test runs,’ said Ricky Ponting about Gill’s captaincy appointment.

The Australian stated that Gill’s handling of the Gujarat Titans in the IPL demonstrated that he was captain material. He believed that Gill’s performance in the IPL would give him confidence to hit runs in the game’s longest format.

“Even looking back at how he’s handled the present GT (Gujarat Titans) team throughout the IPL, I believe leadership comes naturally to him. And, for me, the most crucial aspect of leadership is that if you’re a batter and captain, you must score runs. And Shubman is doing it in the IPL, so I believe the timing is ideal, and you’ll have a fantastic skipper who will make a lot of Test runs in the future,” Ponting added.