Yograj Singh credits son Yuvraj for Shubman Gill’s appointment as India’s Test captain

Shubman Gill was named India’s next Test captain on Saturday, May 24, becoming the 37th player to hold the position. His first task will begin next month, when India travels to England for a five-match Test series against the Three Lions.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced an 18-man squad led by Shubman, with wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant serving as his deputy. The Punjab batsman became the fifth youngest to captain the Indian team in the longest version of the game, succeeding Rohit Sharma in the prestigious position.

Following his appointment, former India speedster Yograj Singh complimented the right-handed batter, crediting his outstanding exploits to his father and the famous Yuvraj Singh.

“The credit for Shubman Gill’s performance goes to his father and Yuvraj Singh.

” If Shubman Gill becomes captain today and remains so for a long time, Yuvraj Singh’s guidance will and has played an important role in that,” Yograj was quoted as saying by India Today.

Shubman has been training under his father’s guidance since a young age and is widely regarded as the nation’s next batting superstar. He also trained with Yuvraj and other talented Punjab cricketers during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020.

The Fazilka native has played 32 Tests and scored 1,893 runs at an average of 35.06. Some fans and analysts have questioned his abilities as a batter in the red ball style. His average falls below 20.00 in critical abroad situations, like England and South Africa.

Shubman will have to lead from the front in the United Kingdom, as India enters the series with inexperienced players. Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli have recently retired, and Mohammed Shami has not been selected due to fitness concerns. It’ll be interesting to see where Shubman bats throughout the series. He has been batting at No. 3 in recent times, but with Kohli retiring from red-ball cricket, he could drop even further to the iconic No. 4.